Finding My Home
by Rinoa-san
Summary: Sasuke could scarcely believe his eyes. He stared at Rena, his best friend, laying on his brother's bed. He had a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from getting up. "What is going on!" "I can explain," she began. "Then, please, do so," he snarled.
1. And So It Begins

**A/N:**

** Hey all! It's Rinoa-san! No I have not dropped off the face of the Earth….I've just had lots of stuff going on. For example, my second year of college starts this fall. (Yikes!). Anyway, I haven't quite decided if I will get back to my Ayashi no Ceres story (Another Descendant's story) or not yet. I am no longer talking to the person I was originally writing it for…so yes, that is up in the air. I do, however, plan on continuing Crossing Worlds. I just have to get back to it and maybe do some revising. ^_^**

** This is one of many new stories I have had come to me. I would like some more feedback to see if I'll continue it. I have lots planned and have an excerpt/preview up on my quizilla page. I decided to start by posting this one since it is the only one that was voted on by one person on my poll (also found on my quizilla account). Please enjoy and tell me what you think. My quizilla account can be found on my profile. Enjoy!**

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_Chapter One: And so it Begins_

"Okay let's see. Binders? Check. Pens and pencils in case? Check. Notebooks? Check," Rena said going down her list of school supplies.

Everything seemed to be there and in its proper place. She smiled at her neatly organized backpack before zipping it up. She then turned to her mirror. Now that the important school stuff was triple-checked, she needed to make sure she looked as ready as possible.

Rena Asho stood around 5'3" with fair skin. Her mid-back length blonde hair was straightened and pulled back into a high ponytail with a turquoise scrunchie. She wore a matching v-neck t-shirt that hugged her reasonable curves. She wasn't too chesty, but she wasn't flat either. Her stomach was well toned thanks to all of the working out and dancing she did. Her straight, denim skirt stopped a couple of inches above her knees showing off her well toned legs. She topped her outfit off with black sandals with a two inch heel, a white heart necklace with her name on it on a gold chain, a black and white bracelet, and gold earring studs. The only makeup she wore was a little bit of chapstick. She had never really seen the point to wearing makeup.

She gave herself a small smile before picking up her bag and skipping down the stairs for breakfast. She grabbed a bowl of cereal and washed it down with a tall glass of milk. She cleaned up the dishes and called goodbye to her parents before jogging out the door.

Rena couldn't help but smile as she walked toward the school. It was her freshmen year of high school and she was more excited than she should be. She was one of the few kids that actually liked school and looked forward to the eight hours of education each day. It helped that she had made a few good friends over the years and, as many of us know, a few good friends can make all the difference. Her smile brightened as she thought about what was to come. It had been a couple of weeks since she had a chance to hang out with Sakura, Ino, or Hinata and even longer since she had seen Sasuke and Naruto. She would finally be able to see them again. To her, they were her five closest friends. She couldn't imagine her life without them.

The walk to school was a good four and a half blocks from her house. Nothing major, but a good bit of exercise all the same. She hummed a few different songs to help pass the time. The moment she walked onto campus, she knew she was where she belonged.

"Rena!" Sakura screamed running toward her friend.

Rena smiled and waved. Sakura didn't slow, letting her long pink hair flow out behind her before she tackled her best friend. They hugged while the pink haired girl let out a small squeal.

"I've missed you so much, Ren! Where have you been these past couple of weeks? It was like you practically dropped off the face of the Earth,"

"Sorry Sakura," Rena apologized smiling. "I've just been really busy. You know, coming up with new routines, finishing up some summer reading, visiting family, same thing that happens at the end of every summer. You'd think I'd learn not to procrastinate so much with all these years of experience,"

"Yeah right! I know you too well, Ren. You could finish all that summer reading in under a week along with all the papers to go with them. Let's face it. You can handle pressure better than half this school combine,"

They laughed heading up to the school. They were almost to the front steps when one arm was wrapped around each other their necks.

"Hey! If it isn't forehead and little miss talented," Ino grinned as she greeted her friends. "Long time no see! 3"

She squeezed a little around her friends' necks laughing. Rena shook her head slightly, laying a hand on her friend's arm.

"Good to see you too, Ino," she giggled.

"So, what's the plan? Another school year has started and you _know_ we have to start it off right. I was thinking maybe we could…"

"Oi! Pig! Let go of me already!" Sakura yelled pulling at the blonde's arm.

Ino responded with a smirk and another tight squeeze.

"Aw, what's the matter forehead? Didn't you miss me?" She teased.

Sakura let out a frustrated growl as she continued to pull on her friend's arm. Rena could only giggled as she twisted out of her friend's grasp without even messing up her hair. She looked just past her friend and saw another familiar face.

"Hinata!" She called waving.

The Huyga girl looked up and smiled, waving a little back before jogging to meet up with her friend. She looked over at Ino and Sakura a little skeptically as they began their usual squabble.

"I-is everything o-okay?" She asked softly looking at Rena.

"Oh, you know them," Rena replied with a smile. "They're the best of friends, but their day isn't complete if they don't have at least one squabble,"

They giggled a little.

"Perhaps we should break them up," suggested the Huyga.

"Probably,"

Rena sighed and let out one last giggle before she stepped in between her other two friends. Sakura looked ready to spit fire while Ino still had her wits about her.

"Come on, forehead, can't you take a hit?" Ino teased.

"That was a choke hold, you pig!" Sakura spat.

"Well, I can't help it if you…"

"Alright you two, that's enough," Rena interrupted. "Come on. It's a brand new year. What do you say we start if off right?"

"Hm? What were you thinking?" Ino asked, her eyes sparkling as she went through various possibilities in her mind.

"Hm," Rena pondered. "How about….She's dizzy and she's dreamy,"

She began singing the last few words. Sakura's eyes lit up as she caught on.

"Her head's up in the foam," she sang

"Her eyes have gone all gleamy it's like there's no one home," Ino added.

"She floats away the day mopping on the costal shelf!" They sang together in harmony.

"You ask here where she's going, she giggles like a fool," Sakura sang.

"She barely sticks a toe in down at the tidal pool," continued Ino.

"It's more than just a phase, face it, she just not herself," Hinata sang a little softer than the others.

"Is she ill?" Ino questioned as she began to really get into the song.

"Or insane?" Rena offered, clapping her hands in beat with the song

"Is it water on the brain?" Sakura asked.

"What has got her bothered so?" The four sang together.

"It's the bends," Ino declared.

"It's the flu!" Sakura argued.

"Gosh I wish we had a clue," Hinata sang.

"Oh wait! Oh dear! Good grief it's clear! She's in love, she's love. Pounding hearts, ringing bells," they sang in unison.

"Look I think she's even wearing brand new shells!" Ino sang feigning shock.

"She's in love!" Ino and Hinata sang.

"In love and it's divine!" Sakura and Rena echoed in response.

"She's in love,"

"That girl's on sandbar nine,"

"Glory be lord above got to be she's in love!" They sang in unison once more.

By this point, several of the other students that had been idling wandering around the school had formed a small circle around them. They were talented, no one could deny that. Ino smirked slightly as she took notice of the audience and winked at Rena as if to say "nice plan". Rena blushed slightly in response. It hadn't been her attention to draw a crowd, but she should have known they would come. Whenever they sang, they pulled in audience. The first day of school was no different. They looked like a real singing group. They had matching sandals and skirts. Only their tops were really different. Sakura wore a tanktop in her trademark color, pink. Ino wore a dark purple halter top while Hinata wore a scoop-neck lavender t-shirt. Rena smiled slightly. They really knew how to coordinate their outfits even when they weren't really performing.

"Hey Flounder! Have you noticed anything weird about you know who?" Ino asked.

"You mean Ariel? I'll say!" Rena replied stepping forward ever so slightly. "She acts like she don't see me. She doesn't even speak. She treats me like sashimi left over from last week. You see her late at night tossing in her ocean bed!"

"Shoop, Shoop. Shoop, shoop," the other girls sang softly as background.

"She's moody as a snapper, oblivious as rocks! Swim right up and tap her…"

"She lays there like a lox!" They sang together.

"As sure as dogfish bite, something's made her lose her head!" Rena continued.

"She has lost her head," answered the other three.

"And she sighs and she swoons and she's humming little tunes,"

"Even has a sort of glow,"

"What on Earth could it be?"

"Any hammer head can see,"

"That sigh," Ino cried.

"That glow," added Hinata

"That swoon," finished Sakura.

"Oh no!" Rena exclaimed. "She's in love!"

"She's flipped it never fails," sang the other three girls.

"She's in love!"

"All hot beneath her scales,"

"See her hips, how they swish!"

"Well, well, well don't you wonder who's the lucky seafood dish?"

"She's in love!"

"She's found a deep sea hunk,"

"She's in love!"

"And now she's as good as sunk,"

"See her blush,"

"See her grin. Got to be she love she's in," they sang.

"Ariel and someone, swimming in the sea, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Rena sang, letting the last note ring.

"Her cheeks could not blush pinker!" Chimed the other three girls.

"It's clear as H-2-O,"

"She's caught hook , line, and sinker!"

"Crushed out," Ino sang.

"Switched on," added Sakura.

"Worked up," chimed Hinata

"Far gone," Ino grinned.

"Knocked down," Rena sang.

"Hard hit," the other three sang.

"In deep," Rena added.

"That's it!" They sang in unison.

"She's in love," Sakura began.

"She's in love," Ino and Hinata sang, adding themselves in a little higher

"She's. In. Love!" Rena cried.

"She's in love. She's in love," they sang together in harmony.

"Plain to see," Rena began.

"Plain to see," echoed the other girls

"No mistake!"

"No mistake,"

"Look at those moonbeams in her wake,"

"Look at those moonbeams,"

"Obvious what they must be symptoms of. She's in love, she's in love."

"She's in love!" Rena sang out.

"Shoop, shoop, she's in love," finished the other girls

"Yeah, Yeah!" They finished in perfect unison.

Their small audience erupted in applause. Rena blushed slightly and they all took a quick bow. From there Ino, ever the star, began shooing away the crowd. Her excuse was that they didn't like to be crowded, though everyone knew she loved the attention. Rena let out a small sigh as she watched her friend fight to get the people to back off. Attention was all well and good, but even Ino didn't like a constant spotlight and once she had enough, she had enough. Sakura soon joined in helping to dismiss the crowd before Ino got too annoyed.

"It's only the first day and you've already gathered a crowd," someone said from behind her.

She whipped around only to have her smile widen at the sight of her best friend of all time (and best guy friend) Sasuke. His smirk was clear as day. She couldn't resist jumping into his semi-waiting arms and hugging him with all her might.

"Sasuke!" She squealed.

He let out a soft chuckle as his arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her back. It was a rare act of affection for him, but something that she was very use to. After all, they were best friends. Nothing could separate them.

"Haven't heard from you in a while," he murmured. "Catching up on all the summer work you should have finished months ago?"

She giggled and pulled back a little to look at him.

"You know me to well, Sasuke-kun," she smiled. "But I haven't _just_ been doing school work. I've been working on other things too,"

"Right," he said rolling his eyes. "Like more dance routines or learning new songs, right?"

"Of course!"

She giggled as he rolled his eyes again.

"Where's Naruto?" She asked earning another eye roll.

"He should be here any min…" He began.

"And just _what_ do you think you're _doing_ draping yourself over Sasuke-kun?" A girl interrupted.

This time, Rena rolled her eyes followed shortly by a soft groan from Sasuke. She turned to face the other girl. She was taller than her with red hair and dark oval-ish glasses. She wore a light purple, low v-neck tank top that stopped just above her bellybutton. Her skirt only reached mid-thigh and she topped it off with knee length, black, three-inch heel boots. Karin. She was Sasuke's number one fangirl in the school and was nothing more than a royal pain in the ass. Anytime Rena would hug Sasuke, Karin would throw a fit. Hell, just a simple touch to the shoulder would send the fangirls into a frenzy. It was extremely annoying and she had been putting up with it for too many years. She knew Sasuke had just about had his fill of it too.

"Who me?" Rena asked feigning innocence. "Why whatever do you mean, Karin-_san_?"

She gave Sasuke another squeeze, deciding to have some fun. One of the best ways to torture Karin was to show public displays of affection with Sasuke. She was one of a very limited number of people that could. She knew it pissed off the fangirl to no end and had no problems playing it up on occasion just to get the girl to shut up.

"Yes _you_," Karin hissed, even more upset with the scene before her. "Now get your hands off Sasuke-kun!"

Rena giggled as Sasuke hugged her back, pressing her head to his shoulder as he caught onto her game. He smirked slightly as he began to gently run his hand over his friend's ponytail. He slightly looked over her head to see the ginger fuming. He smirked a little more knowing their mission was accomplished.

"But Karin-_san_," Rena said with a slight whine, adding a sarcastic stress to the san. "I'm so _comfortable_ right now. I really don't want to move,"

"Listen here you…you…you dirty little…" The ginger began absolutely fuming.

"Do you _really_ want to finish that sentence, Karin?" Naruto asked making her turn around.

"What do _you_ want?" She growled.

"Hey, I'm trying to _save_ you. You know, it wouldn't be very wise to _insult_ Sasuke-teme's _best friend_. It could make him…angry,"

"Oh and he wouldn't be the only one," Sakura chimed.

"Not by a long shot," Ino added.

"So, what were you going to say? Hm? Karin-_san_?" Sasuke asked smirking over Rena's head.

The girl just stood there a minute, her face turning nearly as red as her hair. She mumbled incoherently for a bit before excusing herself. She quickly walked away and was immediately joined by other members of the fanclub. Rena giggled as she hid her face in Sasuke's shoulder.

"Enjoy yourself?" He asked, whispering in her ear.

"Maybe," she giggled.

He smirked as she tried to calm herself. He moved his hands to the sides of her stomach and gave a slight squeeze. She squeaked in response, pushing up from his chest.

"Don't you dare Sasuke Uchiha!" She said half glaring at him.

"Don't I dare what, Rena-_chan_?" He asked, giving her another squeeze.

She squeaked again and squirmed trying to get out of his grasp.

"I mean it, Sasuke, don't," she giggled.

He smirked and pulled her closer again before attacking her sides, tickling her without mercy.

"But, Rena-_chan_, I'm so _comfortable_ doing this," he teased.

She squeaked and began giggling. She tried to pull his hands off, but had no luck. She quickly searched the area for help. Her eyes landed on Naruto first.

"Naruto! Save me!" She begged between giggles.

"I don't know, Rena-chan, it looks like fun to me. Maybe I should help teme out," he teased.

"No, please!"

The blonde boy only laughed in response. She turned to the girls quickly.

"Sakura! Ino! Help me!"

"We'll save you, Ren!" Sakura said, giggling as she reached for her friend's out stretched hand.

After a small tackle fight, the pink haired girl finally managed to pull her friend free of the tickle war. The sat there a moment, catching their breath.

"Geez, Sasuke, did you really have to start that so early in the morning?" Sakura complained, a small smile still on her face.

"Hn. She started it," he said almost childishly. "It was her desire to make what's her face suffer a little, so it's only fair I enjoy it a little too,"

Sakura rolled her eyes while Ino and Rena giggled.

"Um…guys, i-if we don't hurry we'll be late for c-class," Hinata spoke up softly calling their attention.

"Oh alright," Rena sighed. "Come on guys. It's another year for us to learn more and do our best!"

"I can't believe I'm friends with a girl that loves school so much," Naruto groaned.

Rena simply stuck her tongue out at him.

"And if I didn't love school so much, _you_ wouldn't have a tutor. So, let me clarify my hearing, did I hear you _complain_ about my passion for education?" Rena teased.

"N-not at all!" Naruto said quickly. "It's great that you love school so much! Please don't stop tutoring me,"

Everyone but Naruto laughed a little at that.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Naruto," Ren replied with a smile.

With that, they went inside to find their classes. As luck would have it, she started off in Math with Sasuke and Sakura. She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she walked into the room. Still, she had the oddest feeling that someone was watching her. She glanced quickly around the room, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She decided to shrug it off as nothing more than her imagination. She pulled out a new notebook and pencil, preparing herself for her new class.

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**A/N:**

**And there you have it! My first Naruto fanfiction. I have several others...I just have to go back and write beginnings for them haha. There is a preview for this one, but it's titled Itachi story. At the time, I did not have a title for it. There are other previews/excerpts on my quizilla account. Again, there is a link for it on my profile. Please, take the poll so I know what stories I should continue. Reviews are nice, but not required. I do watch to see how many hits the story gets, but that isn't always enough to make me keep it up. So at least...say two reviews? That's what my other story has so, I'd like to get at least two here for me to continue. Thanks! **

**The song the girls sing is "She's In Love" from The Little Mermaid on Broadway. If you haven't heard the original cast recording, you should! Flounder is a 12 ish year old kid that has a voice! Sadly, I don't own it or any of Naruto. I DO own Rena and I take credit for the plot line since I'm writing it. Please do not try and steal my character...or there will be many nasty emails. Thanks! ^_^**

**Have a great day!  
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**-Rino-san  
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	2. Starting the Year off Right

**A/N:**

**I was so surprised to see the number of people that had visited this story! It made me feel special ^_^ haha. I really hope I don't disappoint with my second chapter. ****I would like some more feedback to see if I'll continue it. I have lots planned and have an excerpt/preview up on my quizilla page. I decided to start by posting this one since it is the only one that was voted on by one person on my poll (also found on my quizilla account). Please enjoy and tell me what you think. My quizilla account can be found on my profile. Enjoy!**

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_Chapter Two: Starting the year off Right_

Math went by quickly, much to Rena's surprise. Most of it was spent just getting reacquainted and introduction activities the teacher had prepared. Hardly any math was involved at all. That was the only part about taking the regular classes she hated. It always felt like they started late. The real lessons never started until the second day unless you were in the advance classes and there were only so many she was allowed to take. She sighed as she left her math class. She never really liked the introduction activities in the first place, but it was even worse when the teacher tried to make them into "games". She shuddered slightly at the thought. In her last class, they all had to partner up and, using a piece of string, try to guess certain sizes of their partner.

For example, how many times can the string wrap around your partner's head? What can you infer from this? Can you make an equation using the data you gathered to figure out the measurements of other body parts? It's all well and good as long as you have a good partner. She had even come up with the perfect line to use on Sasuke (_Shall we see if the size of your head reflects the size of your ego?_) and one for Sakura (_Let's prove your forehead really isn't_ that_ big._). She had it all set and then she was discovered the worst part of the assignment. The partners were assigned by the teacher. She had barely bit back the groan. She didn't know the person she was paired with. He was taller, at least 5'8" with red hair. His forest green eyes looked at her like a piece of meat making her very uncomfortable and a bit angry. She felt Sasuke tense up when he looked over her partner. She gave him a small reassuring smile as if to say she would be just fine. He wasn't happy, but didn't push the matter further. Still, he stood next to her when all the partners lined up and their partners stood across from them. It started off fairly harmless. He measured her wrist and she measured his shoulders. He measured her height, she got the length of his arm. He measured her calf muscle, she got his wrist. She got more nervous when he smirked at her.

"Just how thin _is_ your stomach?" He asked as he wrapped the string around it.

"I would rather you _didn't_ find out or at the very least ask my permission first," Rena said just above a whisper.

"Why? It's just an experiment. I'm only collecting data," he smirked.

"Data or not, it makes me feel uncomfortable and I would prefer it if you didn't get so close," she replied taking a small step back.

He only smirked and pulled her close using the string.

"There's one more place I want to measure," he whispered in her ear. "And you can be sure _I'll _enjoy it,"

He slowly moved the string up until it was around her breasts. She flushed a dark shade of pink and tried to push him off.

"Get away from me you pervert!" She yelled.

"Quit screaming. I'm not doing anything wrong," he snapped.

"I mean it! Get away!"

"Why don't you make me?"

"Don't mind if I do," Sasuke growled grabbing the boy's shoulder. "She told you to get away from her, now do as she asked,"

"What's your problem, Uchiha? It's not like you've claimed her so you have no say. Back off and get your own bitch,"

No one knew who threw the first punch, but they made contact at the same time. Sasuke had punched Rena's partner right across the face while she hit his stomach, her face beat red. She was breathing heavily trying to get her emotions in check as she stared at the boy that was now on the ground. He looked back up at her with mocking forest green eyes. She nearly snarled, but stopped herself. She knew she had to keep her temper in check or else she really would start a fight. She took a deep breath and pushed back the worst of her anger.

"What? Is that all you got, bitch? Here I thought it would have been a much more enjoyable struggle,"

Despite her anger at the comment and how badly she wanted the boy to suffer, she knew if she let a real fight break out, there would be a lot of problems. Thinking fast, she grabbed Sasuke, her arms wrapping under his and clasped her hands tightly together behind his head to keep him from moving. Still, her best friend had some height on her and almost pulled away. Somehow, she managed to stop him. It was shortly after that the teacher came over to see what had caused the commotion. After a long explanation, she ended up saving both herself and Sasuke from a trip to the principal's office.

"I still don't see why you stopped me," Sasuke muttered as they walked toward their next class. "That guy had it coming,"

She sighed softly and looked at him.

"I know, Sasuke, but face it. No good would have come from beating him to a bloody pulp. It only would've landed us both in the principal's office with a possible detention on our hands. It's only the first day for crying out loud!"

"He still deserved it…and worse,"

She sighed and gave him a one armed hug.

"I know, but I'm okay. See? Not a scratch on me. No need to beat up the guy just because he was being perverted. If that was the only reason needed to beat someone up, then you would have to be beating up a lot of guys in this school,"

"If they look at you like a piece of meat and try to take advantage of you, I will," he growled, putting his arm around her shoulders.

She sighed giving him another squeeze before letting go. His arm didn't drop though as they continued to walk.

"I know. You're my best friend and you'll do whatever it takes to protect me from those vicious, pig-headed, egotistical boys that only want me so they can screw me. Right?"

He chuckled a little at this. She knew him too well. She was practically a sister to him, so of course he would threaten any guy that would come within a ten-foot radius of her that if he were to even _think_ about doing anything to her, they would have to go through him first. She would sooner commit mass murder than let the dozens of fangirls mob him. It was her job as his little sister to scare off potential bad girlfriends and she did so with a smile.

"Someone has to look after you, baka," he said smirking.

"Who are you calling baka, baka?" She snapped.

He chuckled again at her reaction. There were times when she was more fun to tease than Naruto. The difference being, she wasn't an idiot by any stretch of the imagination. Oh sure she had the occasional slip up, but so do most people. Anyone who knew her would never dare say that blonde females were stupid. She disproved that several times over. His smirk widened as he saw her slight pout of annoyance. She batted off his arm making his smirk fade slightly.

"You know, if you're going to be mean to me, then maybe I shouldn't have saved your butt back there," she said her annoyance clearly seeping through.

"Excuse me?" The Uchiha boy demanded.

"You heard me. We both know if it wouldn't have been for me, we would be currently sitting in the principal's office on the first day of school. For a guy that's _so_ proud, you sure do have a knack for landing yourself in trouble and _begging_ for my help,"

"_Begging_? Uchiha _don't_ beg," he snarled.

She smirked at him in response.

"Oh really? You could've fooled me,"

He opened his mouth to retort, but she cut him off.

"Sorry, Sasuke, but this is my stop. My education calls me and I can't ignore the siren's song," she smiled slipping into her classroom.

He frowned as he watched her move to take her seat next to Hinata. Sometimes that girl really got under his skin. He continued down the hall toward his next class. He thought back to their little "fight". Somehow, he just couldn't stay mad at her. He sighed softly. She was one of a kind alright. He just hoped she would manage to stay out of trouble while they were separated. He did worry about her. His best friend wasn't always the luckiest person in the world and had her fair share of fights and scars. He sighed again and shook the thoughts from his head. It was only the first day of school. How much trouble could she possibly get into?

Rena sighed, slightly frustrated as she took her seat in her Advanced English class. She nearly threw her backpack down before she dug into it for her notebook and summer assignment. She let out another frustrated sigh as she threw it onto her desk.

"I-is everything okay, R-Rena?" Hinata asked looking over at her friend.

"Yeah, just…just a little aggravated with my so called best friend," Rena replied, trying not to sound too snippy to her friend.

"D-did you and S-Sasuke have a-another fight?"

The blonde sighed.

"Sort of, I guess. I had to talk us out of getting sent to the principal's office already for punching a guy. Then he called me baka and…well thing just got kind of out of hand,"

"I-I'm sure h-he didn't mean to make you u-upset. H-he was probably j-just teasing," offered the Huyga girl.

"I know. I'll have to apologize to him at lunch, I guess,"

Hinata smiled at her friend's answer. She had never known the two to fight for very long or very often. Still, it was good to know Rena was going to step up and apologize.

"Anyway, Hinata, did you finish you're summer assignment?" The blonde asked.

"Ah, y-yes. I finished it a while ago,"

"Guess I'm the only one that likes to procrastinate huh?"

They laughed a little. They talked a bit while waiting for class to start. Their teacher was late, much to several people's surprise. The first day of school and the _teacher_ of all people was late. This left the class to talk among themselves and let boredom take its toll. Again, Rena felt as if someone was watching her. She glanced around the room, ready to dismiss it as her imagination again. This time, however, she caught sight of a pair of onyx eyes staring at her. She felt her cheeks flush ever so slightly as he gave her a small smile before she quickly turned back to Hinata. If there was ever a time she needed Ino, it was then. Ino was the number one chief expert on gossip, knowing who's who was big. She always seemed to have the latest gossip. The only good part for that was she always made sure it steered clear of her friends. Now she needed to know who the mystery man was. She glanced back quickly to see him still staring. She fought to keep the heat from her face. It was odd. She couldn't recall the last time she had blushed so much just from someone staring at her.

"Hey, Hinata, do you know who that guy is? The one that keeps staring at me," she asked her friend.

The Huyga hung her head slightly and glanced backward without being noticed. Her lips twitched downward slightly in a small frown that was rare for her. She didn't recognize the boy, but wasn't so sure she approved of the way he kept staring at her friend. It made her a little uncomfortable. She turned back to her friend who was anxiously awaiting her answer. She shook her head.

"S-sorry, Rena. I don't know him, b-but he looks like an u-upper classmen," she said.

The blonde nodded her head and did another quick, unnoticed glance. There was something familiar about him, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Lucky for her, she wasn't given much time to dwell on it.

"Good morning, everyone!" The teacher said walking into the room.

He was tall with silver hair. His mouth was covered as was one eye. Rena raised an eyebrow and scanned her memory banks. She had looked up every single teacher at the school so she would be able to identify the staff quickly whenever possible. She thought for a moment before his name popped up. Kakashi Hatake, the teacher who was notorious for being late and reading trash novels in his spare time. She sighed softly. It would be an interesting year to say the least. She just hoped all the work would still be covered despite all the time that would be wasted.

"Sorry I'm late. I got caught up in the office this morning. Anyway, if you could please pass your summer assignments to the front of the classroom I will collect them and we can begin our lesson," he said as he crossed the room to his desk where he picked up a stack of books.

"Now as you know this is the advanced English class. You are expected to work from day one all the way to the last day of school. That includes the seniors in back trying not to be noticed. Freshmen, welcome to your first day of college work, please try not to pass out within the first hour of our lesson,"

She was a little shocked. What could possibly be so difficult it would cause students to pass out? She didn't mind having a college work load. In fact, she was more than ready for it. Rather than intimidate her, like he had with many of the students, he excited her, intrigued her interest. She smiled, eager to start with the first lesson.

"To start off the year, we're going to be reading _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen,"

"Oh man! Not a _girly_ book!" One of the boys in the back complained as Kakashi began passing out the books.

"_Pride and Prejudice_ is a _classic_," Rena said turning to face the culprit.

He was a boy with blonde hair that looked extremely bored and not happy at all with the situation. He wore a black sweatshirt with red clouds on it. His hands were clasped behind his head as he leaned back in his chair. He stared at her, surprise written all over his face.

"Excuse me?" He demanded.

"_Pride and Prejudice_ is a _classic_," she repeated slowly, enunciating each syllable.

She earned a few giggles for this, but she ignored them.

"Jane Austen's writing does an excellent job of capturing the struggle between classes and genders during the 19th century. It's not just a 'girly' book. It has something everyone can learn. Of course if you've never read it you couldn't possibly understand that now could you? If you had, you wouldn't be complaining that it's girly. Instead, you'd be wise enough to learn from Mr. Darcy and even Miss Elizabeth Bennet. At the _very_ least, you would be wise enough to keep your trap shut and just accept the lesson. Just as Mr. Hatake said, this will be like having a college class. In the real world, you don't always get to just sit back and do as you please. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and deal with it. Some of us came into this class expecting to work and want to do well. Such pointless interruptions are merely distractions and do nothing to add to the lesson or discussion,"

"Aren't you just adding to this 'distraction'?" The boy with onyx eyes asked.

She looked him over carefully for a moment. He had raven black hair that was tied back in a low ponytail and onyx eyes. He wore a similar sweatshirt to the one the blonde boy was wearing. They must have been friends for the blonde smirked when he spoke.

"On the contrary," she replied. "I was giving my opinion,"

"As was he," responded the black haired boy.

"My opinion included a summary of the book showing my knowledge of the material. His was simply a misconception that wasn't worth the time it was given,"

"Well, well!" Kakashi interrupted. "It seems someone has done their homework,"

Rena turned back to the front of the classroom.

"Jane Austen is a must know for anyone that has even a remote interest in English. It's just a plus _Pride and Prejudice_ happens to be one of my favorite books so of course I've read it, but I never mind reading it again especially with being able to analyze it further,"

"Teacher's pet," the blonde boy muttered.

"You wish," she replied with a smile.

Kakashi only smiled (or what seemed like a smile hidden beneath his mask) and continued to pass out books before collecting the summer assignments. All the while, Rena kept feeling the boys in the black sweatshirts watching her. It bugged her a bit, but she said nothing else. Kakashi explained that the students should read through the first twenty chapters by the end of the week and write a one to two page summary about what they read. She also learned they would have to keep a journal in which they were to write in either while waiting for class to begin or during the last five minutes of class. They were expected to have a journal prepared by the next class. He also said that there would be times where they would be reading aloud and everyone should be prepared to read several times each. It was shortly after that the bell rang, dismissing the class.

Rena packed up her school supplies and placed them back into her bag before picking up her assigned copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ and tucking it under her arm as she left the classroom. Despite the encounter she had during class, she was excited that the first book of the year was one of her favorite classics. She couldn't stop the happy sigh from escaping her lips as she walked down the hall. So far, it was a turning out to be a good year despite the few problems she had run into. She parted ways with Hinata and headed toward her next class. She sat down at one of the black tables toward the front of the classroom for her Chemistry class. After getting everything settled for the upcoming class, she opened _Pride and Prejudice_ and began reading.

"Maybe we should call you bookworm. It's only the first day and you're _already_ starting on homework,"

Rena looked up and smiled at Ino who returned the gesture before sitting down next to her friend.

"I can't help it Ino. Twenty chapters in one week out of one of my all time favorites. It was a challenge I simply couldn't resist,"

"You really are a bookworm,"

"From the girl that opted to take Chemistry with me,"

They giggled. While many people wouldn't expect it, Ino actually had some of the higher marks in math and science. It was hard to believe seeing how she was also excellent in art class thanks to her fantastic eye for color. It had taken a lot of work, but Rena finally convinced Ino to take an advance class of her choice with her. After some disagreements, they finally settled on Chemistry a science with plenty of math. It was something they would both do well in. As they chatted waiting for class to start, Rena had the familiar feeling she had when she was in English. She glanced around the room to find the same raven haired boy there sitting in the chair right behind her. She quickly looked back toward Ino who quirked her eyebrow. Ren just shrugged it off for a moment. She noticed how he wasn't alone again. All the people at his table wore the same black sweatshirt with red clouds. Along with his blonde friend, he sat next to a boy with blue-ish skin. Across from them were a boy with blood red hair and the blonde haired boy. They had all looked at her at one point or another. It was really beginning to make her uncomfortable.

"Hey Ino, you know everything there is to know about everyone in school right? The gossip queen?" Rena asked softly scooting closer toward her friend for a little more privacy.

"Of course. Did you need some dirt on somebody? Someone caught your eye? Did someone try starting a rumor about you?" Ino inquired following her friend's example.

The Asho girl did a quick unnoticed glance over her shoulder to the table behind them. They seemed to be deep into their own conversation, oblivious to the rest of the classroom that was bustling, ready to finish the last lesson before lunch. She looked back at her friend's eager sky blue eyes.

"Do you know who those guys are?" She whispered. "Specifically the one with black hair?"

Ino ran her eyes around the room looking as casual as she did walking through a crowded hallway. No one even gave her a second glance.

"The one in the black sweatshirt with red clouds?" She said softly, yet casually.

"That's the one,"

"Hm. Looks familiar, but can't quite put my finger on it. He's a cutie. Very nice choice,"

"That's not what I'm looking for Ino!"

"Okay, I don't get you! You've known me for years and you _finally_ ask me information on a guy and it's _not _because you think he's hot or want to date him? What other reason is there?"

Rena sighed and rolled her eyes, quickly checking to make sure they hadn't disrupted the boys. Luckily, they didn't.

"I just need to know okay. This is my second class with him and this is the second class I've seen him staring at me. I don't know if I'm just being paranoid or what, but it bothers me," she explained calmly.

"Does Sasuke know?" Ino asked concerned.

If this guy was bothering her friend, she knew the Uchiha boy would never let it slide. Hell, she didn't care how cute he was. If he was bothering Rena, she was likely to take a swing at him herself and she didn't mean trying to date him. She slightly clenched her fist on her lap. If someone wanted to get to her friends they would have to go through her first. Rena shook her head.

"No, he doesn't. Besides, we already had a little squabble today and I don't want to make it worse. It's not something to be terribly concerned with yet. Nothing has come of it. It's just a few stares. Still, I'd like to know who it is,"

Ino nodded in response.

"Yeah, I heard what happened this morning. That punk had better make sure to steer clear or else I'll give him a black eye personally. As for the one that can't keep his eyes to himself…I should have some information before lunch is over,"

Ren smiled at her friend.

"And this is why we come to you when we want to know what's going on. You _always_ have your sources,"

"But of course!" Ino said with an arrogant smirk. "If something happens in this school, I know about it. Nothing goes on without my knowledge,"

They giggled again before their teacher came in. Rena distinctly remembered his bio on the school's webpage. If she thought his picture was creepy, it was nothing compared to seeing him in real life. Orochimaru was the head of the science department at the school and reminded her a lot of a snake. She had never really liked snakes to begin with, but this teacher in particular made it so much worse. She and Ino barely bit back their shudders as he began the lesson. Lucky for them, it was basic review to start off so they would have some time to get used to him and his appearance before the real work began. Rena mentally shook her head. She felt extremely shallow for thinking about how she was supposed to get past her teacher's _appearance_ in order to get the work done. She tried to shrug it off though. How many students could say that their teacher had features that resembled a snake? By her count, only the ones in the school that took his classes.

After class, she parted ways momentarily from Ino to run back to her locker. She pulled out her bag lunch and went to the cafeteria. Sakura and Naruto stood up, waving her over to their table almost as soon as she stepped in. She couldn't help but smile. Naruto was practically bouncing on the table trying to get her attention. Sakura was a little more subtle and was standing on her knees on the seat waving like crazy with one hand while trying to tame the blonde boy with the other. Rena giggled a little more before reaching the table.

"Hey guys!" She greeted as she sat down.

"Hn," Sasuke replied looking away.

"Oi! Teme what's your problem?" Naruto demanded whacking the Uchiha in the back.

He lurched forward then glared at the hyperactive boy next to him. He was ready to start hurling insults followed shortly after by punches, but stopped short.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Sasuke," Rena said with a small smile. "I know you were probably just teasing me and I took it too far. It was my fault and I'm sorry,"

He stared at her a moment, forgetting his anger at Naruto. He looked away, his cheeks a very slight shade of pink. It was barely noticeable unless you were looking for it.

"It's fine. I'm…" he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry…too,"

He wasn't use to apologizing but it seemed to happen the most when it came to Rena. When one apologized the other would apologize shortly after. Nearly every single one of their little arguments had them both at fault. She smiled at him in response before opening her lunch box.

"I got it!" Ino announced slamming her hand onto the table right in front of Rena making everyone jump.

"Hey what's the big idea, pig?" Sakura snapped, not at all happy she nearly spilled her bottle of water.

"I got it," she replied smugly.

"G-got what, I-Ino?" Hinata asked softly.

Ino simply smirked at Rena who could only stare back for a moment before it all clicked for her.

"No way! Already? How? What? When? Who?"

"Woah, what's going on?" Naruto asked, the confusion clear in his face.

"Ino might have just gotten me the biggest scoop of the year," Rena said quickly.

"Was there any doubt? I _am _the gossip queen after all,"

"And we know your information is correct because?" Sasuke said in his usual bored tone.

"Oh Sasuke-kun your lack of faith in me hurts!"

Rena giggled a little.

"Anyway, seriously Ino, did you get the info? Already?"

"Yup. Everything we need to know…except last names,"

"Well spill girl!"

"What is going on?" Sakura interrupted.

"Well, Ren came to me asking if I knew who this guy was. He looked familiar, but I had to check it with my information to be sure. Apparently this guy has (as far as we know) two classes with her and has been staring at her during both today. One is her English class which she shares with Hinata and the other is Chemistry which is shared with me. He's defiantly a cutie! I mean if this guy checks out he would _definitely_ be first boyfriend material for our little girl,"

Rena rolled her eyes at the last comment, but didn't miss the look she got from Sasuke.

"There's been a guy just staring at you? And Ino thinks you two should be dating? _That's_ what she has information on?" He asked in disbelief.

"Oh relax Sasuke. It's not like anything will come from it anyway. I just want to know he's been staring so if I have to confront him, I'm prepared. With Ino, there's hardly a bit of information I won't get about him so I think that means I'll be safe,"

He grunted and turned back toward his lunch. She in turn returned her attention to her blonde friend.

"So spill, Ino. Who is he?"

Ino gracefully sat in a near perch as she leaned over the table to her three girl friends that leaned in eagerly.

"Well, you know that sweatshirt he was wearing? It's a sign. He belongs to a particular club. No one knows exactly what goes on, but they seem to do a lot of work with helping out the school. They're called the Akatsuki,"

Sasuke almost choked on his rice ball. Naruto banged him on the back a couple of times, thinking he was being helpful. Another time, the Uchiha would have returned the "favor". Instead, his attention was turned to his other best friend.

"There's someone in _that_ group that has been bothering you?" He demanded getting to his feet.

Rena looked up at him, concern crossing her eyes. The other girls looked up at him in shock.

"Uh Sasuke, what's wrong? Do you know something we don't?" Ino asked half intrigued.

He looked away in response. The hand he had resting on the table was shaking ever so slightly. Concerned, Rena careful reached over and placed her hand on his. He looked at her, slowly registering the concern and worry in her face. He looked away again.

"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" She asked, trying to coax the answer out of him.

"It's…nothing. Just stay away from them,"

Confusion flashed across her face.

"You're not making any sense. There's something else, but for some reason you won't tell me. I don't know what's wrong, but I can't exactly do anything if you don't tell me. I'm not going to purposely seek these guys out. I can't do anything about my schedule now so I might as well learn what I can right? I know you're worried, but I'll be okay. I promise,"

She gave him a small smile trying to reassure him. It took him another moment to sit down again. He pulled his hand back and went back to eating. For a while there was silence.

"M-maybe we should finish this conversation another time," Rena suggested quietly still watching her best friend.

He refused to meet her gaze. It bothered her, but there was nothing she could do about it. She heard Ino sigh and consent to postponing their conversation before they went back to eating. After lunch they still had three more classes. Rena sighed as she made her way to history on her own. It was the only class she had where she didn't have at least one of her five closest friends with her. It was strange, but she knew she really had nothing to worry about. She sighed softly as she pulled out her English book again when she got to the classroom waiting for the lesson to begin.

History went by fairly quickly, much like math. They did a few ice breakers and handed out text books, but other than that nothing was really accomplished. From there, she went to the food and nutrition class with Naruto. It went by fairly quickly, but then again it was her easy class. Naruto told her to be careful when she pointed out the boy from her English and Chemistry class to him. How they ended up with so many classes together baffled her. Still, she agreed to be careful around him. It seemed like there was something about him that both he and Sasuke were hiding from her, but she decided not to dwell on it. Finally, she ended the day with gym. It was the only class she was thankful didn't really start until the second day. She sat in the locker room between Ino and Sakura while they were waiting to get their locks so they could claim their small locker for the semester.

"So Ino, that guy from earlier, what else do you know? You said he was in the Akatsuki, but we couldn't say anymore at lunch," Rena began.

"Hm? Oh yeah! Isn't it strange that Sasuke reacted like that?" The blonde replied.

"Yeah…it is," she whispered in response before shaking her head. "So come on, Ino, tell me. Who is he?"

"He's name is Itachi," Ino said with a shrug. "I couldn't get a last name, but man does he look familiar! I swear I've seen him somewhere before but I can't place him for the life me,"

"I know the feeling,"

"So what's the deal with this guy anyway?" Sakura asked. "Why so interested?"

"Like I said, he's stared at me for two periods. It's kind of unnerving. It bothers me. So I just wanted to know who it was,"

The pink haired girl nodded.

"You know Ren, you really should be careful. Sasuke-kun seemed to be really upset that this guy was a part of the Aka-whatever. It makes me uneasy and to know that one may have his eye on you? It just seems…well dangerous I guess is one word,"

Rena smiled at her friend.

"I'll be careful. I promise," she said. "His reaction worried me too, but I think there's a lot more to the story then what he's telling us,"

The girls nodded in agreement. Gym seemed to fly by much like the other classes they had that day. However during the last fifteen minutes, Rena was called down to the principal's office. She took a deep breath as she walked toward the office wondering what on Earth she could have done to be called to the office on her fist day. She blocked out the memory of that morning's episode in math and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" The principal called.

She took another deep breath and opened the door. Tsunade sat behind her desk, papers piled everywhere. She looked up from the current stack she was looking over and smiled.

"Ah Rena Asho! I've heard a lot of good about you," she said with a smile.

The student returned it weakly.

"I'm confused, Ma'am. Did I do something wrong to be called here? Or is it a casual visit?" Rena asked.

"You did nothing wrong," Tsunade answered waving her hand as if to dismiss the idea entirely. "I've simply asked you here so that I may a favor of you,"

"A favor?"

"In case you haven't heard, each year our school holds a large festival to celebrate the start of a new year. Unfortunately we haven't had the money to book any musical entertainment. The budget just simply doesn't allow it,"

"I'm still confused. What does this have to do with me?"

"I've heard great things about you and your friends. You're a very talented group of young ladies. This morning when the four of you were singing was enough to prove that. I'd like to hire you to be this year's musical talent. We can't offer much in the way of compensation, but we do have a little we can spare. We have a stage, sound system, and musical equipment, anything you girls will need. We just need you to perform. So what do you say? Are you up for it?"

Rena smiled.

"I couldn't think of a better way to start the year off right," she replied.

* * *

**A/N:**

**And there you have it! Chapter two is complete. Since this story has had the most hits in a very small amount of time, I decided to update this one first. I would be very grateful if I could get two more reviews before the next chapter. I don't think it's asking very much, but maybe it is. I don't know. Anyway, review, comment, message, etc. It makes me feel loved and inspires me to continue. Until next time!**

**-Rinoa-san  
**


	3. Lights! Camera! Welcome!

_Chapter Three: Lights! Camera! Welcome!_

"OMG! I can't believe this!" Ino squealed forcing Rena to hold the phone at arm's length.

"I know, I know," Rena replied laughing. "It's pretty amazing!"

"Not to mention the pressure," Sakura added.

"It'll be fine, forehead," Ino said waving off the comment without a second thought.

"M-maybe S-Sakura-chan has a point," Hinata said softly.

Rena let out a soft giggle. It was always difficult to get everyone on the phone, but the news was simply too big to wait. She had called Sakura then three-way called Hinata. Sakura then three-way called Ino. It was a long line of calls, but in the end it was worth it to have them all on the phone at the same time. Rena had missed grabbing everyone after school so she was left with the option to call. She had been so excited she had barely been able to get out the exciting news. They had been asked to perform at the welcome back to school festival. On many levels, it was extremely exciting. On others, it was extremely stressful. They had only a few days to prepare and a ton of planning had to be done. There wasn't a moment to waste.

"Girls, this is going to be great. It's an awesome way to start of the year. Ino, you already admitted that she wanted to know how to start of the year great. This is it! I mean, honestly! This is going to be great," Rena exclaimed.

"I don't know, Ren," Sakura began. "I mean this _is_ kind of sudden and in front of the _entire_ school. Are you sure this is the way to introduce ourselves?"

"Absolutely! We can practice every day until performance time. Ino, you can coordinate the outfits. I've been working on some arrangements. Sakura, you can help me trying out a few of the new arrangements and maybe we can even try a few different songs too. Hinata, you can make sure the school is ready for us. Check their equipment. Make sure it's up to our standards."

"Sounds like a plan!" Ino cheered. "We're going to need a fitting at my place before hand. How about tomorrow?"

"Slow down, pig. Ren, this sounds all well and good, but have you told Naruto and Sasuke yet?" Sakura asked with a sigh.

Silence followed as realization dawned on all four of them.

"Rena!" Ino and Sakura yelled making her hold her phone away from her ear again.

"Sorry! I guess I got a little ahead of myself. I was just so excited…"

"That you forgot to tell _Sasuke_?" Sakura demanded. "He is going to be so ticked!"

"Calm down, Sakura. I can take care of it. Plus, it might be better now that everyone else is on board, getting them on shouldn't be that hard," Rena replied.

"You have no idea how you're telling him, do you?" Ino asked.

"None at all."

"Oh Rena-chan. A-are you sure this is such a good idea?" Hinata asked.

"Completely. Don't worry. I can handle this. Just trust me. I'll call you girls later okay?"

There was a chorus of goodbyes before she hung up the phone. She took a deep breath and scrolled through the contacts on her phone. She smiled a bit as she hit the familiar number for her best friend. She waited patiently as the phone rang.

"What's up?" Sasuke asked casually.

"Hey Sasuke-kun!" Rena replied happily.

"What do you want?" He asked bluntly.

"Aw, come on Sasuke! Can't I just call to say hello and be happy about talking with a friend?" She tried.

"You always greet me with 'Sasuke-kun' when you want something. So what is it this time?"

She sighed.

"Oh Sasuke you know me too well."

"Rena…"

"Well, you see I got called to the office and the principal asked if we could be the talent for the upcoming school festival because she had heard so much about us and heard us this morning and knew that we had talent. It's not much compensation, but it's something and I kind of already said it would be great if we could and I got the girls to agree but I forgot to tell you because I was so excited and…" She blurted out in such a rush most of the words ran together.

"Rena calm down," Sasuke sighed. "I could only understand about half of what you said. Slow down and try again."

Rena sighed loudly.

"Alright, long story short, we were offered a gig and I said yes. It's for the welcoming festival at school. Please say you'll go along. The girls are all on board," she said, silently crossing her fingers and praying it would all work out for the best.

For a while, it was silent. Rena held her breath waiting for an answer. Finally, there was a sigh.

"When are we performing?" Sasuke asked at last.

She squealed into her phone jumping up and down as she stood on her front porch.

"Oh arigato Sasuke-kun! I really, really, really owe you for this!" She continued to squeal.

He chuckled softly on the other end.

"Yeah, yeah. Just give me the details alright?"

She squealed again and launched into all the details. She gave him a schedule of rehearsals and "appointments" for fittings. He could only sigh and agree. She was too excited to really care about his more or less indifference to the situation. All that seemed to really matter was that she was working on getting the gig together. She was rarely able to get so worked up about a performance and she always jumped at the opportunity. She could hardly believe the chance she had been presented. It was Wednesday and the festival was Friday. They didn't have much time. She made sure that Sasuke would be at rehearsal later that night then hung up so she could do the same with Naruto.

The days that followed seemed to pass in a blur. They rehearsed every day after school and at lunch they hashed more of the details. The girls and Naruto were giddy with excitement. Sasuke remained relatively indifferent, though he would make his opinion known if he strongly agreed or disagreed. Still, he could only smile at the eagerness of his friends. The festival was a big deal for all of them. Their first "official" gig. Rena was glowing with anticipation. He hadn't seen her that happy in a long time. It was a nice change of pace.

At long last Friday arrived. Rena was nearly jumping up and down as she went through out her school day. She didn't even care that she was being stared at or that the boy from the first day was also in her gym class. Everywhere she turned he seemed to be there watching her. It was creepy, but she pushed it from her mind. She was just glad that the day of her performance had finally arrived. She, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto stayed after school to help set up her stage.

Rena took charge giving strict directions on how to move the equipment from the drum kit to the amps. She tested everything to make sure it worked and had her friends stand in their assigned spots so she could make sure it was just right. When she was more or less satisfied, they ordered pizza and talked as they ate. Rena drank as much water as she could get her hands on. If she was going to sing, she needed to be hydrated. About two hours before the performance began, Ino and Hinata came back. Ino brought with her the outfits they were wearing for their concert.

"Ino these turned out great!" Rena praised as she held up her outfit.

"Of course they did," Ino smirked. "I _did_ design them did I not?"

Sakura scoffed as she picked up hers.

"Well, we'd better get changed. We want to be prepared long before the rest of the school shows," she said grabbing her own outfit.

"Right. So let's head to the bathroom!" Ino cheered. "You guys better change too. Since _some_ people don't like to stand still for their fitting, I want to make sure your outfits fit properly."

She shot an icy glare toward Naruto who in turn shrank back slightly. He grabbed his outfit and turned toward Sasuke.

"Yeah, well whatever Ino. Come on Sasuke."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes, but picked up his own outfit regardless and headed toward the bathroom with his friend. The girls scurried off to the bathroom. Rena stripped off her t-shirt and jeans. She hummed softly as she removed the straps from her bra, thankful she remembered to wear the one with removable straps. Finally, she picked up her performance outfit.

She slipped on the blue-green, one armed halter top that stopped a little above mid-thigh. One the right side, there was a star resting at about her waist. Streaming down from that were alternating strips of blue and gold material that had been sewed into the top. Over her left shoulder was a magenta flower. From it there were alternating magenta and gold streams of fabric. It was much too short to be worn on its own. She pulled on a pair of knee length, black leggings. Finally, she pulled on a pair of black ankle boots that had an inch wide silver band at the top. Finally, she packed up her school clothes and put them in her bag before stepping out.

Ino was waiting for her. She was wearing a purple halter top with silver purple collar tied up around her neck. On the bottom of the right side of her shirt was a gold star which matched the larger one on her back. Her leggings were silver with knee length black boots. Her hair was pulled up in its usual ponytail, her bangs parted so the hair fell near her left eye. She smiled as she gave her friend a once over.

"Looks fantastic!" she said with a smirk. "Now get over here. I've gotta do your hair."

She plugged in the curling iron and pulled her friend over.

"Hold this," she ordered before stepping out of the bathroom.

"Yo Naruto!" She screamed. "Bring me a stool!"

Rena giggled at her friend's demanding nature. While Rena was in charge of the band, Ino was a close second. She gave even the best of them a run for her money. She turned toward the stalls when she heard one of the doors open. Hinata stepped out, pushing her blue-ish, purple, shoulder length hair behind her ear shyly. She wore an off the shoulder, short-sleeved lavender shirt. On each sleeve was a silver crescent moon. She too had silver leggings but wore black flats instead of boots. She smiled at Rena.

"Well? H-how does it look?" She asked.

"You look great, Hinata," Rena smiled.

Her friend blushed and fiddled with her fingers a little.

"A-Arigato, Rena-chan. You look beautiful," she mumbled in response.

"Arigato."

"Am I ever wrong?" Ino smirked as she returned carrying a wooden stool.

She sat it down near the plug where the curling iron was set and motioned for her friend to sit down. Shortly thereafter, she began brushing her friend's hair and separating it into sections.

"If you think it looks good now, wait until I'm done with her hair," Ino smiled as she began curling her friend's hair. "Hey Sakura, are you done yet?"

"Hold it, pig! I'll be out soon enough," Sakura snapped. "Geez! You're so impatient."

"Hey, I'm the one that's trying to make sure we have enough time to finish getting ready. Remember, I still have to check out the guys' outfits more thoroughly. I only caught a glimpse of Naruto's. Now hurry up! You still gotta do your hair and make-up," Ino responded.

"I know, I know. Just give me a minute."

Rena giggled only to be snapped at to hold still. She sighed and sat as straight as she could so that Ino could finish her hair. She hummed softly as she waited. She would normally do her hair herself, but Ino had insisted saying she had the perfect idea. It was also the first performance so who was she to argue? Ino had a passion for fashion and was usually spot on. Finally, the last stall opened to reveal a slightly disheveled Sakura. Her hair was messed up, but her clothes lay perfectly. Her magenta top was a sleeveless halter. At the top of the right side of her shirt was a sun with a golden center and silver beams stretching out from it that matched the one on her back. She wore denim like leggings with knee-length boots. She absent mindedly ran her hand through her hair.

"What did you have a lot of difficulties?" Ino teased.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she grabbed the nearest brush.

"Not really. I just forgot it was strapless and had to fight with my bra a bit," she said slightly miffed.

Ino grinned as she continued to curl her friend's hair. She was in one of her smug moods and it wasn't easily diminished.

"Oh relax Sakura. You look great. Well, great except for your hair. You _might_ want to fix that."

The pink haired girl rolled her eyes and began brushing her hair. Rena sighed, wishing she could shake her head. Still, she managed to sit perfectly still.

"Oh come on you two. No need to be bickering. We have a performance to give! Why don't we just work on some warm ups?"

Ino sighed.

"Oh Ren, you're always so worked up about that stuff."

"Hey, I know that we need to be warmed up before we go out. Why not do some practicing instead of bickering?"

"It's kind of hard to do that when we still have hair and make-up to do," Sakura replied shaking out her hair.

Rena sighed.

"Fine, but we can at least be somewhat productive. Hinata, come here."

The Hyuuga girl moved over blocking the view of the mirror from her friend.

"Okay, now give me your hands. I don't want them cramping up. It's going to be a long performance."

"A-arigato, Rena. A-are you sure we can do this?" Hinata asked softly.

Rena smiled as she began massaging her friend's hands. She understood the worry, but she tried to be optimistic.

"We can do this, Hinata. We're going to be amazing."

"Amen to that!" Ino cheered setting down the curling iron.

She gathered up her friend's hair and pulled it up into a high pony tail with a gold scrunchie. She stepped back with a satisfied smirk, proud of her work.

"There!" she said putting her hands on her hips. "Finished. Now you just need your make-up and you're all set!"

"Thanks Ino. I owe you," Rena smiled before releasing Hinata's hands and standing up.

She stretched a little before going to her bag to dig out her make-up. Ino leaned up against the wall and inspected each of the outfits. She nodded satisfied.

"We look amazing," she smirked.

Rena laughed as she applied a light layer of mascara, eyeliner, and a little blue eye shadow to help make her dark blue eyes pop while she was on stage. She finished off with a little glitter lip gloss. She also sprayed some hair glitter in her hair to make her shimmer and used some vanilla scented glitter body spray. It wasn't enough to over kill, but it was just enough so that she would shimmer with a soft glow when under the spot light. Sakura added a little pink make-up and adjusted a red head band in her hair until it sat just so. Ino smoothed hers over with a bit of glitter and Hinata brushed her own one last time. When they were all satisfied, they packed up their bags and left the bathroom, the various heels clacking nearly simultaneously.

"Geez! It took you guys long enough!" Naruto complained as he turned to see girls.

"Humph. Perfection does take time, Naruto," Ino snapped, turning her nose up slightly.

"Yeah, well…" he stammered, twirling a drumstick in his hand. "W-we should get going."

"Now hold on just a minute, I have to make sure your outfits fit right," Ino scolded. "Now stand up straight."

Rena couldn't help but giggle as Ino strode over to the blonde boy and made him stand up straight before circling him like a hawk. She had to admit, Naruto looked good. He wore a black t-shirt with a large, silver leaf shape embroidered, representing the school. On his left sleeve was a red-orange spiral that he often wore. Around his fore head, was a sliver band with a black spiral in the middle. It was topped off with a pair of dark blue jeans and black shoes. He looked relatively handsome and even presentable. She smiled a little as Ino nodded satisfied.

"You're turn, Sasuke," she said turning her attention to the Uchiha boy.

Sasuke wore a silver long sleeve button up shirt. On his left sleeve was an embroidered Uchiha symbol that matched the smaller one on the bottom left corner of his shirt. On the right sleeve was a black embroidered symbol for the school similar to Naruto's. His was topped off with dark blue jeans and black shoes. His expressions changed from indifferent to annoyed as Ino circled him, tugging at times to make sure it lay perfectly.

"Would you knock it off?" He finally snapped.

"Well excuse me, Mr. Touchy!" she huffed. "I just wanted to make sure it fit."

"It fits," he growled.

She pouted and crossed her arms.

"Alright, that's enough you to. Let's get in a couple of warm-ups before we take the stage. We don't want to strain ourselves or crack a note."

"Fine," Ino huffed.

"Hn," Sasuke replied.

Rena sighed and led the way to the band hallway where they piled into a practice room that held a piano. While Naruto didn't have any drums, Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino brought their instruments in for a tuning and a few warm-ups. From there Rena lead a few vocal warm ups. At long last they got their 15 minute warning. Rena took a deep breath to clam her nerves then followed the others out to the stage.

The festival was held out behind the school from the football field to the baseball field. It was a fairly large area and lined with booths which different clubs had bought to flag down newcomers. There were concession stands and more. There were also some stations set up inside the school. However, her main interest was the stage that had been set up a few yards from the school. It was off to the side, yet still the center of the event. Rena forced another deep breath before she climbed up the stairs. They did a quick sound check, from the mikes to each of the amps. Finally, the principal stopped by and gave her the thumbs up. Rena smiled and nodded to the rest of her group.

It started with just Naruto on the drums and clapping. Then Hinata joined on the keyboard.

"Come on!" Rena called into the mike as Hinata began. "She's the girl with the best intentions. He's a man of his own inventions. She looked out the window, he walked out the door. Well she followed him and he said what you looking for," she sang.

Ino then joined on bass followed shortly by Sasuke and Sakura on guitar.

"She's said I want something that I want. Something that I tell myself I need. Something that I want. I need everything I see. Something that I want. Something that I tell myself that I need. Something that I want and I need everything I see. Yeah," she sang in harmony with the others.

The crowd that had been scattered throughout the area slowly began to collect around the stage. She closed her eyes and felt her hips start to sway in time to the music. She loved the stage and that was where she was. She opened her eyes and smiled preparing for the next verse.

"He's been living in a pure illusion. She's got to come to her own conclusion. Right when you think you know what to say, someone comes along and shows you a brand new way," she sang.

"She's said I want something that I want. Something that I tell myself I need. Something that I want. I need everything I see. Something that I want. Something that I tell myself that I need. Something that I want and I need everything," the group sang harmoniously.

"Cause it's so easy to make believe, seems you're living in a dream. Don't you see that what you need is standing in front of you, oh!" Rena sang taking over again.

"Oh! I want something that I want. Something that I tell myself I need. Something that I want. I need everything I see. Something that I want. Something that I tell myself that I need. Something that I want and I need everything I see, yeah, yeah, yeah," the group finished together.

There was a light applause when they finished their song. Rena smiled and took a small bowl.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight!" She called in greeting, holding the microphone. "I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to your fabulous entertainment for the night. Back on drums, we have the talented Naruto Uzumaki!"

He smirked and did a quick little drum beat. Rena smiled at the applause and turned to her other side.

"On keyboard, the lovely Hinata Hyuuga!"

She trailed her fingers along the keys with a shy smile and light blush tinting her cheeks.

"Playing bass, that fabulous Ino Yamanaka!"

Ino smirked and did a small number on her deep, purple bass. Rena felt the smile stretch as she grew near the end of her list.

"Our second guitarist is the sensational Sakura Haruno!"

Sakura, like Ino, smirked before playing her piece. Finally, Rena turned to her other side where Sasuke stood.

"Our lead guitarist is the one and only Sasuke Uchiha!"

The crowd went wild as some of his fangirls screamed. He fought the smirk but did a short ditty anyway. Rena smiled at her friend before finally turning back to the audience.

"And I'm Rena Asho your lead singer for the night. We hope you enjoy our show and let's kick it off with Crazy Dreams by Carrie Underwood!"

When the applause began, the others began to play.

"Hello you long shots, you dark horse runners, hairbrush singers, and dashboard drummers. Hello you wild magnolias, just waiting to bloom! There's a little bit of all that inside of me and you. Thank God even crazy dreams come true," Rena sang, moving more with the music.

She kept a bottle of water near the microphone stand and was careful not to hit it, but she hardly put the microphone down.

"I've stood at the bottom of some walls, I thought I couldn't climb. I felt like Cinderella at the ball, just running out of time! So I know how it feels to be afraid, and think it's all gone and slipped away. Hold on, hold on! Here's to you free souls, you firefly chasers, tree climbers, porch swingers, air guitar players. Here's to you fearless dancers, shaking walls in your bed rooms! There's a lot of wonder left inside of me and you. Thank God even crazy dreams come true," Rena sang, with the others chiming in with their harmony.

"Never let a bad day be enough," she sang with a chorus of "ah" behind her. "To go and talk you in to given up. Sometimes everybody feels like you. Oh feels like you, just like you, yeah!"

"I've met some go getters, some difference makers, small town heroes, and big chance takers. I've meant some young hearts with something to prove! Oh yeah! Here's to you long shots, you dark horse runners, hair brush singers, and dashboard drummers. Here's to you wild magnolias, just waiting to bloom! There's a little bit of all that inside of me and you. Thank God even crazy dreams come true. "

"Thank God even crazy dreams come true! Yeah," she sang, before the last bit of music at the end.

There was more applause and she bowed again. She couldn't keep the smile off her face. She nodded to her friends and they began the next piece, Cowboy Casanova. Rena moved more as she let herself get into the music. She gestured to the crowd and at times moved over to her band mates and sang with them. From Cowboy Casanova (by Carrie Underwood), they moved to Hit Me With Your Best Shot (by Pat Benatar). From there, they performed Love Story (by Taylor Swift), The Night Before (Life Goes On) (Carrie Underwood), Dream on Dreamer (by Cascada and which she dance much more, almost a completely choreographed routine), Songs Like This (Carrie Underwood), Perfect Day (Cascada), Naturally (Selena Gomez), and So Small (by Carrie Underwood). Rena smiled and bowed after each song. After the two by Cascada, since those required more movement, she took a sip of water. She took a drink after So Small and smiled. She took a few deep breaths and to another bow, waiting for the noise level to die down. Behind her, she heard the beginning piano part to What Can I say, by Carrie Underwood. She tried to be calm, but still turned to look back at Hinata. Sure, they had rehearsed the song, but it was a duet. Rena could sing the female part backwards if she wanted to, but she had no one to sing the male part. Naruto could sing okay if he had something to hear and match which made him okay in a group. However, he was not a soloist. Sasuke had immediately refused the part as soon as Rena had looked at him during rehearsal. Now they were performing. Ino simply smirked and nodded. Rena, bit back the sigh and turned back to the crowd.

"Piercing words, eyes are red, watched your tail lights in the rain, empty heart filled with regrets, I know we were both to blame, and I'm not sorry that it's over, but for the way we let it end. So I said all I had to say in letters that I threw away," Rena sang, closing her eyes for a moment then opening them again. "And you should know, please believe me, I've picked up the phone a thousand times and tried to dial your number, but it's been so long. It's never easy. It's like trying to spin the world the other way. So what can I say?"

She held her breath unsure of what to expect next. There would either be silence or Naruto would try to fill in. She closed her eyes, waiting those few bars.

"How did it come to this?" Sasuke sang.

She whipped around and stared at him, nearly forgetting to sing her part. The girls in the audience went wild, screaming nearly over the music.

"I think about you all the time," they sang in harmony.

"It's not excuse, but I wish that I never made you cry. I'm not sorry that it's over, but for the way we let it end," he sang stepping closer to her.

She took the hint and moved back by him so that he could keep playing rather than try to pick up the microphone and just sing. The smile slowly inched its way onto her face.

"I couldn't find the words to say And you should know, please believe me, I've picked up the phone a thousand times and tried to dial your number, but it's been so long, it's never easy, it's like tryin' to spin the world the other way. So what can I say? (what can I say?) What can I say? (What can I say?)" They sang together (Sasuke singing the part in the parenthesis at the end).

"I hate to think all you had of me (I said all I had to say) is a memory I left you, pace between what was meant to be (In letters that I threw away) and the mess that it turned into." They continued, which Sasuke taking the lead (Rena singing the part in parenthesis).

"And you should know, please believe me," Rena sang sweetly.

"I've picked up the phone a thousand times and tried to dial your number! But it's been so long, it's never easy, it's like tryin' to spin the world the other way," they sang together.

"It's like tryin' to spin the world the other way." Sasuke continued.

"What can I say? What can I say?" Rena sang.

"What can I say?" Sasuke finished.

The crowd went wild! Rena looked at her friend a moment longer, a soft smile playing at the corners of her lips. She finally bowed to the crowd, then stepped aside gesturing toward Sasuke. His cheeks turned a light pink for a moment, but he did nothing more than nod causing the fangirls to scream again. Rena smiled.

"Thanks Sasuke," she whispered. "I really owe you one."

"Hn," he replied.

She smiled and moved back to the center stage. They moved onto Change (Carrie Underwood), Some Hearts (Carrie Underwood), Undo it (Underwood), Wasted (Underwood), and To Where You Are (Chloe of Celtic Woman) before they took a break. The girls chatted excitedly as they got water and took advantage of their time to sit down. The event was made to last for about three to four hours. Rena had counted and recounted and they had enough to last a bit more than two hours. That would give them time to relax and wander around too. She had previous cleared it with the principal so she wasn't terribly worried. She rolled her neck to help get out all the aches. The following week would be the first official full week of classes. She wasn't really looking forward to all the work, but she couldn't say she wasn't ready for the school year to begin. With a little luck, it would be a year to remember.

When they got back on the stage, they kicked it off with Butterfly (the Japanese opening to Digimon) with Sasuke taking the lead vocal for the song as well as tackling the guitar solo. It was one of few songs where Rena sung strictly background. The fan girls got a kick out of it, but after that, Sasuke went back to just playing the guitar and singing background. The followed up with Twisted (Carrie Underwood), Runaway (Cascada), You Belong With Me (Taylor Swift), I Told You So (Carrie Underwood), Goodbye (Kristinia DeBarge), White Horse (Taylor Swift), Lessons Learned (Carrie Underwood), Our Song (Taylor Swift), Faded (Cascada), Temporary Home (Carrie Underwood), Who Do You Think You Are? (Cascada), He's All that (Cascada), Because of You (Kelly Clarkson), You Won't Find this (Carrie Underwood), Cinderella (Play), Holiday (Cascada), Hot 'n' Cold (Katy Perry).

"Alright, well thank you all for coming out tonight! I'm afraid that we only have two more songs for you this evening. But hey, school really starts next week. You know what they say, sometimes taking the next step forward 'starts with goodbye.' I hope you enjoy it," Rena smiled, introducing their next to last song, Starts With Goodbye (Carrie Underwood).

"I was sitting on my doorstep, hung up the phone and it fell out of my hand, but I knew I had to do it and he wouldn't understand," she began after a short musical intro. "So hard to see myself without you. I felt of a piece of my heart break, but when you're standing at a crossroad, and there's a choice you've gotta make. I guess it's gonna have to hurt. I guess I'm gonna have to cry and let go of some things I love to get to the other side. I guess it's gonna bring me down, like falling when you try to fly. It's sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life starts with goodbye," she continued with the harmonies mixing in.

"I know there's a blue horizon somewhere up ahead just waiting for me. Getting there means leaving things behind, sometimes life's so bitter sweet. I guess it's gonna have to hurt. I guess I'm gonna have to cry and let go of some things I love to get to the other side. I guess it's gonna bring me down, like falling when you try to fly. It's sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life starts with goodbye.

Time, time heals the wounds you feel, somehow, right now. I guess it's gonna have to hurt. I guess I'm gonna have to cry and let go of some things I love to get to the other side. I guess it's gonna bring me down, like falling when you try to fly. It's sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life starts with goodbye. I guess it's gonna have to hurt. I guess I'm gonna have to cry and let go of some things I love to get to the other side. I guess it's gonna bring me down, like falling when you try to fly. It's sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life starts with goodbye,"

She bowed again and smiled. Finally, she looked at her friends and gave them a final nod. She felt tired, but it was well worth it. She really did love the stage.

"Whatcha gonna do when the show is over? Whatcha gonna sing when the song ends, yeah? How you gonna cope when there is no closure? Where you gonna reach when the goal gets higher? How you gonna make it through when you think you lost your chance? Play on when you're losing the game. Play on 'cause you're gonna make mistakes. It's always worth the sacrifice, even when you think you're wrong. So play on, play on," she sang, her movements slower as she worked to slow her heart rate, which was considerably slower after the previous song.

"Even when the floodgates swing wide open, never let current take you down, no. Even when you're not sure where you're going, swimming through a mess and you can't get out, just going through the motions and trying not to drown. Play on when you're losing the game. Play on 'cause you're gonna make mistakes. It's always worth the sacrifice, even when you think you're wrong. So play on, play on.

Even through a storm on the darkest night, don't you ever give up the fight, even when you feel you're all alone. Play on, play on. Play on when you're losing the game. Play on 'cause you're gonna make mistakes. It's always worth the sacrifice, even when you think you're wrong. So play on, play on. Play on. Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Na, na, na, na, na, na. Na, na, na, na, na, na."

Finally, she bowed and gestured to each of the other band mates who took their own bows before they finally bowed simultaneously. It was an overall job well done. Rena couldn't stop smiling. Slowly, the crowd dispersed and they began cleaning up their equipment.

He watched as she helped her band mates pick up the equipment and clear the stage. It was certainly an….unexpected performance. They even got Sasuke to sing solo. Who knew? But _she_, yes _she _ had really captured him. Who was she? What was she to the young Uchiha? He remembered hearing once that they were best friends. It was very interesting. He made a mental note of her description and tried to recall her name. She was definitely one worth remembering and he would be sure to do his research thoroughly.


	4. My HeroSasuke's Brother!

**A/N: Hello dear readers! I'm sorry I have been unable to post for so long! School has kept me extraordinarily busy! I hope to post updates for all my stories during my winter break. Please understand I am a college student and sadly my work comes first, but I will never stop writing :) Well, Enjoy chapter four!**

**-Rinoa-san **

* * *

_Chapter Four: My hero…Sasuke's Brother?_

"That…was…amazing!" Sakura squealed as they walked home an hour or so after their performance had ended.

Rena couldn't help but giggle, holding the clothes in her arms tighter. She couldn't help it. Their performance had been amazing. Many students came over to talk to them, congratulate and try to recruit them. Ino had been glowing from the excitement.

"I know! Totally the best way to kick off the year. I mean…holy crap! Did you see the attention we got?" Ino added

"I-It was very exciting," Hinata agreed smiling.

"We rocked!" Naruto cheered. "Even if teme got into it."

"Hn," Sasuke replied.

Rena giggled again. Even if he didn't want to show it, Sasuke really enjoyed the performance too. The only downside was going home. Since none of them could drive, they were left with walking. Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata carried their instruments on their backs. Naruto and Rena carried their stage clothes and helped carry the school bags. Naruto complained a little, but was reminded that his drums would be picked up the following morning with a car. That little reminder (followed by a whack on the back of the head courtesy of Sasuke) was enough to get him to quiet down and follow along. Normally, it wouldn't take Rena too long to walk home from the school, but it was late and they walked to each person's house to make sure they got home safe.

They stopped at Hinata's house first and said goodnight.

"Get some rest," Rena instructed with a smile. "It was a long day."

"You should too," Hinata replied hugging her friend. "Y-you really worked hard."

"Hey," Ino yawned. "How about we have a nice relaxing spa night tomorrow? You know unwind from the stress this last week brought and reflect on our kick ass performance."

"Sounds good," Sakura yawned, covering her mouth. "We haven't had a spa night in forever. Perfect way to relax."

"And catch up on gossip," Ino smirked.

The girls laughed.

"S-sounds like a plan," Hinata smiled.

Rena nodded, biting back her own yawn. She was exhausted, but there was still a bit of a walk ahead of her. She set Hinata's bag just inside the door. The girls said goodbye and headed out again with the boys. They next dropped off Ino and finally Sakura, leaving Rena alone with Sasuke and Naruto. As they walked back down the street, Rena let out a long yawn. She was really beginning to feel the exhaustion settle in. She was more than ready to go home and hit the sack.

"You holding up okay?" Naruto asked, giving her a weary glance.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rena yawned. "Just a little tired. No biggie."

"You look dead on your feet," Sasuke said nonchalant.

"Gee thanks. That makes me feel _so_ much better, Sasuke," she replied sarcastically.

"You do," he shrugged.

Rena rolled her eyes and yawned again. She knew she probably did look dead on her feet though. It had been a really tiring day. She put her head on Naruto's shoulder as they walked. She could just see herself crawling into her nice warm bed, burying herself under the covers and drifting off to dreamland.

"I can't wait to get home," she mumbled. "My bed is just calling to me."

"Sure you're going to make it?" Sasuke asked.

"That depends," she smiled. "Are you offering to carry me?"

He scoffed and she left out a half hearted giggled.

"You must be tired. You're usually not this insane."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're so mean, Sasuke. Maybe I'm better off just staying with Naruto. He's much nicer."

Naruto laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"It amazes me sometimes that you two are best friends. I really don't know how you can put up with teme, Rena-chan. Why not forget him and let _me_ be your best friend?" the blonde boy teased.

"That's awful tempting, Naruto. I don't know if I can pass it up."

"Whatever," Sasuke mumbled.

Rena giggled as she straightened up.

"Oh Sasuke, you're no fun."

She yawned and rolled her neck trying to get out the kinks. She could feel her muscles stiffening, protesting the extra movement. When they turned the corner, she could see her house only a few down. She rejoiced internally. She was that much closer to being in her nice warm bed.

"Have you had any more problems?" Sasuke asked a little uncomfortable.

"What are you talking about, Sasuke?" Rena asked confused.

"With the…Akatsuki," he clarified.

She shifted her bag on her shoulder to let it sit a little more comfortably.

"I didn't really notice this week," she admitted softly. "I was a little too focused on the upcoming performance that I really didn't…"

"Good," Naruto interrupted. "Those guys better think twice before they try messing with you. We'll show them! Right Sasuke?"

"Hn," the Uchiha responded.

Rena shook her head as she stepped up on the porch.

"Don't worry so much Sasuke. They haven't done anything to me yet, right? I think you're just…just…Ugh. I don't know right now. I'm too tired."

Naruto laughed giving her a one armed hug.

"Well, get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow," he grinned.

"Nope. Not tomorrow, Naruto. It's girl day tomorrow, remember?"

"Aw man! Why do you guys always have to do that?" he whined.

"Because we're girls and can't give out our super secret girl talk and what not to you as in accordance with the girl code," she smiled.

"You're too tired to explain what you meant before but you're not too tired to give some stupid story about a girl code?" Sasuke asked, lifting an eyebrow.

She stuck her tongue out at him as she pulled out her key.

"It's a girl thing. We'll see you guys on Monday."

She opened the door and gave them each a hug before going in and shutting the door. She dragged her bag and clothes up the stairs to her bedroom where she dropped them. She washed her face, slipped into her pajamas, and finally crawled into bed. She was out before her head hit the pillow.

Rena didn't wake again until late the next morning. She felt well rested and refreshed. She stretched as she went to the bathroom and washed her face before changing into a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt. She hummed as she went down the stairs for breakfast. She talked with her parents about how her performance went and her plans for that evening. They didn't really have any issues with her spending time with her friends.

As Rena helped pick up the house, she texted the girls to find out more details, mainly, where they were going to have the spa night. Ino offered to hold at her place. Her parents were going to be gone most of the day and as long as they kept the noise reasonable, they would be able to stay up relatively late. Once everything was set, Rena packed a small bag with pajamas, nail polish, personal hygiene stuff, and clothes for the next day. She said goodbye to her parents and headed out the door. She walked the few short blocks to Ino's house and knocked on the door.

"Hey Ren!" Ino greeted. "I'm so glad you're here! I need your cooking expertise stat!"

"Alright, alright, just relax," Rena laughed stepping in.

She set her bag down by the door and let herself get dragged into the kitchen. Ino had several bowls scattered around the kitchen, the oven on, and a pot ready to boil over on the stove. Rena fought back the urge to scream and rush to try and salvage whatever she could. Ino had never been a fabulous cook, but still it seemed a little over the top.

"Ino what did you do?" Rena asked exasperated.

"I was just trying to make….well stuff," she admitted sheepishly. "Think you can salvage it?"

Rena let out a sigh and rushed over to the stove shutting it off and removing the top from the pot. She looked around trying to figure out what sort of "stuff" Ino had been trying to make. From what she could tell it was pasta, cookies, muffins, and pretzels. Nothing overly difficult, but certainly enough to make a mess.

"Oh Ino," Rena said shaking her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Hey! At least I tried," she pouted.

Rena giggled as she started to clean up so she could try to salvage some of Ino's efforts. She cast a look over her shoulder at her blonde friend.

"Well come on. We have lots of work to do and I'm not going to get all this done by myself. You have to help."

"Are you sure I won't burn something?"

"Positive."

The girls laughed and got to work. Most of what Ino had started was unsalvageable and they had to start from scratch. Despite having to start over, they had a lot of fun recreating dinner and snacks for the evening. They laughed and poked fun at each other. They had just put the pretzels in the oven when Sakura and Hinata knocked on the door.

"Hey girls!" Ino greeted ushering them in. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"You're cooking? Maybe I should've eaten before I left," Sakura replied.

"Oh hush forehead. I'm not _that_ bad, right Hinata?"

"U-um…well.."

"Actually Ino, you kinda are," Rena replied stepping out of the kitchen. "That's why you have me."

She smiled as her friend scowled in response.

"Oh if _Rena_'s cooking, then we know it's good," Sakura said with a sigh of relief.

"I'm not that bad!" Ino insisted.

The other three girls laughed. Ino was stubborn. Even if she wasn't right, she would firmly argue that she was until there was absolutely no chance that she was or could ever be right. While it was fun to tease her about her cooking skills, the girls knew it was pointless to get her to try and see the error of her ways. Ino would admit she wasn't a great cook, but she would never admit to being a terrible one.

Sakura and Hinata set their bags down next to Rena's and began setting the table. Ino pulled out a bottle of Sparkling Grape Juice from the fridge and poured out four wine glasses full. Childish? A little, but it was a celebration and it was perfect for the occasion. Rena dished out platefuls of pesto ravioli and cheesy garlic bread. When they all sat down, Ino raised her glass.

"To a kick ass performance and to an amazing school year!"

"Here here!" Rena agreed lifting hers as well.

"Even though the year has barely begun and we have no idea what is going to come…"Sakura replied raising her glass.

"Oh lighten up forehead. It's going to be a great year."

"L-let's do our best," Hinata encouraged as she raised her glass.

They clinked their glasses and took a sip before digging in.

"You seriously need to relax, Sakura," Ino said taking a bite of the bread. "So what if the year has only barely begun? It's _going_ to be great. You saw the kind of response and feedback we got at the festival. We're a hit! This is going to be one _hell_ of a year."

"Says you! I mean we really don't know what to expect."

"Oh Sakura, what happened? You used to be so positive!" Rena teased.

"I'm trying to think realistically. Do we even know about the Akatsuki thing you were having trouble with?" the pink haired girl replied.

Rena let out a long sigh.

"Sasuke already asked me about that. I didn't really notice them much this past week. I was too busy with preparations. They haven't done anything yet right? So why worry about it?"

"I just think you need to be careful…we _all _need to be careful. Yes our performance was kick ass, but that just set our bar _that_ much higher," Sakura replied.

Rena shook her head as Ino launched into a large speech on how they were born to be great and the bar could never be set too high. The year was going to be great and yadda, yadda, yadda. All Ren could do was smile and continue to eat. It was suppose to be a night of fun. She wasn't going to fight or argue. She was just going to sit back and enjoy the night.

After dinner, the girls gathered for their traditional spa night. Their feet were set to soak, their masks were on, and it was all very relaxing. They started off watching _Down with Love_ before Rena read aloud from the book _Karma Girl_. They laughed and gossiped just like every other girl night. It was easy and relaxing, the perfect way to unwind after the first week of school and big performance.

The weekend flew by in a blur of relaxation and teasing. Rena even managed to get a jumps start on her assignments for the upcoming week and set up Naruto's tutoring schedule. This of course only led to teasing her more about how much of a bookworm she was. She laughed and joked right along with them. Unfortunately, her good mood vanished Monday afternoon when she walked into her gym class.

"Alright everyone, today we will be reviewing water safety," Mr. Gai, the gym teacher, proclaimed while his students sat before him in their gym uniforms. "Tomorrow we begin our swimming unit!"

Rena mentally groaned and shrank down ever so slightly. Swimming. She was practically a perfect student, passed every test, and excelled in nearly every subject…except swimming. Actually, she _couldn't_ swim. Her parents had managed to get her excused each time the swimming unit came around. She knew she should learn, but she was more than a little frightened. Sasuke nudged her side forcing her to look over at him. His eyes were weary and concerned. She tried to give him a comforting smile, but he didn't seem to buy it.

"But before that, it's time for some exercises!" he cheered giving them a glistening smile and thumbs up. "Now go run four laps around the gym!"

There was a collective groan as the students got to their feet and moved the perimeter of the gym and begin running…slowly. Rena kept a moderate pace as the rest of the class fell into their patterns. Instead of running ahead, Sasuke stayed near her.

"Rena, are you sure…?" he began.

"It'll be fine, Sasuke," she replied keeping her eyes forward. "We go through this every year."

"And every year there are more questions and more pressure," he countered. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

She let out a long sigh and looked over at him.

"I promise everything will be okay, Sasuke-kun. There's nothing I can't handle."

"Besides being thrown into the pool?"

She rolled her eyes.

"No one is going to throw me into the pool. Even if they do, I _know_ you. You'd have them in the hospital while I'm drying off."

"Hn," he replied turning his head.

She couldn't help but giggle. It was true. He would never let anyone get away with nearly killing her. He was just that protective of her…like a big brother. Sakura came up on Rena's other side and gave her a concerned look.

"Hey, are you…" she began.

"It's fine Sakura," Rena replied looking at her friend. "Just like I told Sasuke, there's nothing to worry about."

The pink haired girl sighed.

"You say the same thing every year and every year you still sit as from the water as possible. I'm just worried is all. Be careful."

"I always am," the blonde smiled.

They finished their laps and began the stretching regiment Mr. Gai had set for them. Naruto complained a little when he was paired with Ino for the relay racing, but she quickly quieted him with a swift hit to the back of the head. Rena was paired with Sasuke, and Sakura went with another girl in the class named Tenten.

"So…another swimming unit," Ino said slowly while she and Rena waited for their partners to make their rounds.

"I'm fine, Ino," Ren sighed. "I told Sasuke and Sakura the same thing. Why are you guys always so worried?"

Like Sakura, Ino simply sighed.

"We just worry. I'll be sure to keep gossip off of it," she replied. "If anyone tries to start anything, it'll be stomped out before it gets past the source."

"Thanks, Ino," Ren smiled.

They were past their baton and took off. After a few laps, they were given their cool down stretches and called to sit in the bleachers to go over water safety. Mr. Gai lectured up until the last 10 minutes of class when he passed out a few handouts on water safety and liability forms. With the technicalities taken care of, they were dismissed back to the locker rooms to change.

When the final bell rang, Rena called goodbye to her friends and headed out. She wanted to get home as soon as possible so that her parents could get the entire swim unit matter settled. She shifted through the papers in her hands and juggled a few books to make sure she had everything before attempting to shove it into her bag. Sadly, with her attention diverted, she ran into someone dropping her finally organized papers.

"Sorry," she said dropping to the ground to start picking up her belongings immediately.

"Are you alright?"

She glanced up to see a pair of onyx eyes that did not belong to her best friend. Instead, the boy in front of her had long black hair pulled into a pony tail and wore a black sweatshirt with red clouds on it. If she remembered correctly, Ino had been able to identify him as Itachi. She mentally groaned. Of all the people for her to bump into, it had to be _him_. Sasuke would _not_ be happy to hear about it. She mumbled "fine" in response, gluing her eyes on her papers that were beginning to get kicked everywhere by passing students.

"Let me help," offered Itachi kneeling down and gathering some of her papers.

"Oh, you really don't have to…" she began, narrowly avoiding having her hand smashed by the many shoes.

"I insist," he chuckled. "You weren't the only one at fault."

She snatched the last piece of paper from the hall way and straightened the stack in her hands.

"Here."

She looked up again to see Itachi holding out two books and a few of her papers neatly stacked to her. Shyly, she took them from him and added them to her own stack.

"Um, thanks. Sorry again…for running into you," she said getting to her feet.

"No harm, no foul. Don't worry about it," he smiled.

She returned it slightly before nodding and moving around him. She hurried down the hall and felt her cheeks start to burn. Ino was right. He _was_ cute and she didn't expect him to be so polite after she called out his friend in English. She couldn't get her face to cool down. She shook her head. She didn't want to think about it. She just needed to get home. That was her goal.

Rena made it back home without any more incidents. She left the papers on the kitchen counter for her parents before heading up to her room to work on homework. She found it a little more difficult to focus however. She couldn't get the incident with Itachi out of her head. She had never even been introduced to the boy yet he was nice enough to help her when _she_ ran into _him_ and called out his friend on the first day. She tried to shrug it off. He probably didn't even remember her. It was a freak accident. She would probably never even interact with him again. She forced herself to work on her homework and finished it before her parents got home. When they arrived, she sat down with them and they talked about the swim unit dilemma.

"You know, sweetie, we can always get you private lessons. Maybe it would help!" her mom suggested. "I don't want you to get bullied because of this."

"We go through this every year, Mom. I'll be okay. Nobody bullies me. I can handle myself and whatever I _can't_ take, Sasuke, Naruto, Ino, Sakura, and even Hinata will be there to help."

"We won't make you do something you don't want to or feel uncomfortable with," her father said. "We will excuse you from this again. It takes time to heal, you just have to give it a chance."

She smiled sadly.

"I know, Dad, and maybe I will try someday. I just don't think it would be smart for me to jump in now at school. Everyone else is already pretty confident in their swimming skills. I'll just stick out more."

He nodded as did his wife. Their daughter had been bullied before because of her brains. She was smart and excelled very well in school. They didn't want to make her a target for bullies again. Her friends had all but put an end to the bullying, but there was still that fear of it rising again.

"I'll write the school then," her father said getting up and walking to the computer.

"And _we_," her mother began with a smile "can make dinner."

Rena smiled in response. She loved cooking and had learned most of her skills from her mother. It wasn't often they got to cook together, but she loved it when they did. The rest of the evening was spent cooking, eating, and cleaning. Rena texted with Sakura, Ino, and Hinata about little things like class, homework, and any new gossip that arose during the day. Though she felt bad, Rena didn't mention her encounter with Itachi. She wasn't even sure how to bring it up or what kind of reaction she would receive. They were already concerned about the swimming unit. She didn't want to cause them anymore worry. At long last, Rena crawled into bed ready for a full night's sleep. She would need it for school and the beginning of the dreaded swimming unit.

The next morning, Rena got up, showered, and dressed in a blue t-shirt and jeans. She made sure her homework for the day was ready to be turned in and a copy of her Dad's letter to the school was tucked away safely into her bag. From there she went off to school. The day seemed to pass by quickly. As everyone was beginning to settle into their routines, the homework load seemed to increase. She didn't mind too much. She loved school, but it was a little incontinent at times. Ino was already complaining about missing band practice because of homework. It was only Tuesday, but the blonde diva couldn't wait for the weekend.

Before they knew it, though, the last class of the day arrived, gym. Ino and Sakura kept asking to make sure Ren was okay as they changed into their uniform swimsuits. Rena in turn insisted that she was fine and filed out with them, though she stayed in her normal clothes. When they reached the pool, Ren took her father's note and handed it to Mr. Gai. He glanced over it and nodded, giving her permission to sit near the wall and watch. Rena smiled and thanked her teacher politely and moved to sit near the wall while he began the lesson.

Rena watched her classmates get ready to get into the pool. She sighed softly to herself. She felt a little pathetic. After all this time, she still couldn't force herself to learn to swim. The very idea sent a chill down her back. She settled for pulling her knees to her chest and settling in to watch. She gave a small wave to Sasuke, Naruto, Ino, and Sakura as they lined up near the diving boards. The girls and Naruto smiled and waved back eagerly. Sasuke gave her a look with slight concern mixed with indifference. He gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement. She smiled. She knew he was only concerned because, while she was still a good deal away from the water, she was sitting near the deep end. He was worried. It was typical behavior for him, he was concerned yet wasn't about to openly display it.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A voice sneered to her right.

She glared up to see Karin, her leopard print top stretched tightly across her chest. Her black, skin tight, shorts stopped mid-thigh showing off her knee high boots. It absolutely _screamed_ whore. Her two leading fellow fan girls were flanking her on both sides, both dressed in similar fashions though they were a little less extreme as to not take out away from their ring leader. Of all classes that had to share the pool with Ren's, it _had_ to be the one with Karin in it. Stupid school saying that two or more classes could share the pool.

"What's the matter? Is the widdle girl afraid of the wader?" Karin continued, teasing her in a baby voice.

Rena rolled her eyes and got to her feet.

"Aw, what's the matter Karin? Nobody paying attention to the little scrap of clothing to wear? Or is the princess afraid to get her hair wet?"

Karin scowled at her long time enemy.

"_I'm_ not afraid of a little water. _I've_ at least been in that filthy puddle of water they call a pool. What about you?"

Rena nearly grimaced. She did _not_ want to have that conversation with Karin of all people. It hadn't even been a full day into the swimming unit and trouble was already stirring. It was going to be a long next few weeks.

"What I do or don't do is none of your concern. So why don't you and your little pose just run along now?"

Karin began advancing forcing Rena to take small steps side steps until she found herself walking backward.

"How dare you! Who do you think you're talking to? You think you can just waltz around here like you're Miss High and Mighty and not have any consequences? You are totally on the bottom of the scale in this school, little freshmen. Around here, you yield to me."

"Oh really? Now why would I go and do a crazy thing like that? If I were to yield to you, I would have to lower my mental capacity just to compensate for the lack of yours."

"Oh that's it!" Karin hissed. "You. Are. So. _Through_!"

With that Karin shoved the girl. Rena stumbled slightly and felt her foot slip behind her, nearly hitting the pool. She managed to regain her balance with a weary glance backward. Not good. She wasn't even sure when she had started moving toward the pool, but it had most definitely been a poor decision on her part. She glared at her "enemy". She wasn't about ready to back down despite being backed into a corner.

"Come on. You expect me to be afraid of a pathetic little shove like that? As if! You've got no force to back up that big mouth of yours," she replied shoving back.

Karin's face displayed more furry.

"You little slut! I've had enough of you and your mouth."

She grabbed the other girl's shirt and pulled her close.

"Why don't you go for a nice swim?" the red head growled then shoved the girl in her hands as hard as she could away.

Rena felt her foot slip and her eyes go wide. There was no way she could regain her balance. She was going to fall. She sucked in a sharp breath of surprise then hit the cool surface of the water with a large, resounding splash. She tried to hold her breath, but she felt herself sink. She kicked and pulled at the water frantically, but to no avail. Nothing helped. She was going to drown. Panic hit her like a brick in the face. What was she going to do? She was going to die. She needed air, but there was no way she'd get back to the surface in time. It was the end.

Karin stood by the edge laughing for a minute until one of her flunkies pointed out that the other girl wasn't coming back up. In fact she seemed to be sinking faster. Without another moment's hesitation, they scooted as quickly as their boots would let them back to their class.

Sasuke looked up in time to see the splash. When the water cleared, the first thing he noticed was Karin scurrying away. The second thing he noticed was Rena missing. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together. Luckily, he was already on the diving board.

"Uchiha, get back here!" Gai shouted just before Sasuke dived.

He looked up to see the boy with long black haired that was tied back in a ponytail diving into the water. Sasuke gritted his teeth. He would _not_ let him get away with this. He jumped into the water and swam as fast as he could toward where Rena must have been thrown in.

* * *

Rena could feel her consciousness leaving her. She needed oxygen. Was she really going to die? Just as her vision was leaving her completely, she noticed a boy with black hair swimming toward her. She thought it must be Sauske and silently prayed he would reach her…before it was too late.

* * *

Luck was not on Sasuke's side. Itachi reached her first and was already working on pulling her out of the water by the time Sasuke reached the site. He gritted his teeth and quickly followed them out of the water.

Itachi laid her on her back and placed an ear to her mouth. She wasn't breathing. He tilted her head back, pinched her nose, and breathed into her mouth. Sasuke almost fell back into the pool. How could he? What right did he have?

After a few breaths, Itachi began chest compressions. Sasuke rushed over and sat across from the boy that was attempting to save her life. He wanted nothing more than to help, but it would be pointless to try and break in. He watched as Itachi gave two more rescue breathes and another round of chest compressions. He did this twice more before she began to cough up water, much to everyone's relief. By the time she began breathing on her own, there was a large crowd of students surrounding them. Naruto, Sakura, and Ino were in front desperately trying to get a better look. Mr. Gai made his way over, pushing through the crowds.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"She's breathing, but should probably see a doctor," Itachi replied looking up at the teacher. "I'd venture to say she consume quite a bit of water."

Gai nodded.

"I'll call ahead to the nurse, go ahead and take her down to the clinic, Uchiha."

Itachi nodded and gently picked her up. Sasuke stood with him.

"I'll go too," he said.

"Only one Uchiha needs to go," Gai replied.

"It's his best friend, sir. I don't mind," Itachi explained.

Gai was reluctant, but finally nodded and let them both leave as he ushered everyone else back to their lessons. The boys were quiet as they walked from the pool and down the halls. The silence was heavy and the tension between them was almost visible. When they arrived at the clinic, the nurse was nowhere to be seen, so Itachi simply laid Rena down on one of the free beds.

"She'll be okay," he said after a while.

"Hn," Sasuke replied. "You didn't have to…"

"To what? Save her?" Itachi replied smiling as he turned to the other boy. "Lighten up, little brother. She's alive and that's what's important right?"

Sasuke didn't reply. He simply crossed his arms and looked away.

"Oh I see. _You_ wanted to play hero to her, didn't you?" the older Uchiha boy teased, then laughed. "Well, I'm sorry I took that privilege from you. Would you like me to throw her back so you can be the one to save her?"

"Shut up!" Sasuke all but shouted, his face turning red. "Don't act like you know everything!"

Itachi's smile disappeared slightly as he looked at his little brother. True, he looked adorable with the blush, but he was truly upset.

"Sasuke, I was only teasing. She's your best friend right? I understand being upset about what happened. All I did was help."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and looked away again. Itachi sighed and headed for the door. He paused for a moment next to his brother and placed two fingers on his little brother's forehead.

"Don't be so touchy. Why don't you stay with her? I'm sure waking up to a friendly face will be a welcomed sight after what happened. I'll head back to class."

He gave his little brother a backwards wave as he left the clinic.

"See you at home, Sasuke."

Sasuke scowled after his brother for a moment before taking a seat next to Rena's bed. Itachi had made one good point. She was alive. It didn't matter who saved her. The point was that she survived and that was the most important part. Sasuke sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Why did he have to share gym with his older brother? It was only going to complicate things. How could he tell his best friend he hadn't been able to save her in time? That it was his older brother that rescued her from the clutches of death? He shook his head. There would be time to worry about that later. First, he just had to be patient and wait for her to wake.

Itachi, the hero…who would have ever expected that Sasuke would be so indebted to his older brother? On top of that, Rena owed him her life. To make matters worse, it was the boy that had been watching her in class as Sasuke had come to find out through a number of sources and firsthand experience in gym. A hero…what would Rena think when she found out her "hero" was the wrong Uchiha brother?


	5. Unveiling a Hero?

**A/N: I feel like this is late in coming out and not my best work :/ I feel like I did a lot of rushing, but I hope it came off well. This is probably not as well edited as I would have liked, but I may go back and rewrite it. I just wanted to give my readers something so I could get started on the next chapter of one of my other stories. School will have me busy as hell this semester, so please be patient. I am doing the best I can. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter Five: Unveiling a Hero?_

Rena struggled to open her eyes. She felt heavy, water-logged. Still, something told her she needed to open her eyes. The last thing she remembered was falling into the pool. Was she even alive? Sasuke was going to kill her for sure. She shouldn't have gotten into that stupid fight with Karin. She should've just looked the other way, ignored the girl who dressed like a $2 hooker. Still, Rena was never one to back down from a fight. She always defended herself and would continue to do so. Could Sasuke really be that mad at her for sticking up to Karin for the umpteenth time?

Yes. Yes, of course he could be. Now she doubted if she should really open her eyes. She could just picture him leering down at her, ready to dish out the lecture of the year. She didn't want to face that anger, but she needed to prove to herself she was still alive to hear it.

Slowly, very slowly, she opened her eyes. Her dark blue eyes scanned the room from the white ceiling above her down to the boy sitting in the chair next to her. His onyx eyes were fixed intently upon her. She couldn't quite be sure if he was angry or relieved. He was just quiet. In a situation where she knew she was in trouble, quiet was rarely a good sign.

"Sasuke," she began softly, her voice hoarse making her cringe inwardly. "Sasuke, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall in. I just…"

Without a word, he reached over and simply hugged her. She was surprised to say the least. All she could do was hug him back and try not to cry. It was more than just falling into the pool. She wasn't sure how long she had been out and based on Sasuke's reaction, the event had been much more serious. She had nearly drowned.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," she whispered again.

He chuckled a little and gave her a tight squeeze.

"Sorry? For what, exactly? For falling into the deep end? For nearly dying on me?"

"All of the above?" she guessed. "Look, I know you're going to lecture me. I know what I did was stupid. I should've never let her egg me on like that. I just…you know…"

"She who?" he asked, pulling back.

His face was serious. Now that he was assure that she was alive, it was time to get answers. Rena had never been one to just venture over to the pool, especially the deep end. There was too much fear holding her back. She knew she couldn't swim. There was always another explanation. Sasuke had seen Karin running from the scene, but he needed to hear Rena say the accusing words. It was the only way the school would take action. If Rena kept her silence, then nothing would ever be done.

"You don't know?" she asked slowly.

Damn. He could see it in her face he had just blown his first shot at getting information from her. Rena may always stand up for herself, but she was no snitch. She liked to handle her own problems. She would occasionally turn to friends for help, but when it came to certain things (like the occasional bully) she insisted on handling it herself. That was partly why he always worried so much about her. One day, someone was going to go too far, and she wouldn't be able to handle it. He had his doubts if she would ever tell anyone. It was just the way she was. Just as she could be stubborn, though, so could he. He would get the answers he needed out of her eventually. He just had to play his cards just right.

"If you don't know, Sasuke, I'm not going to say who," said Rena, crossing her arms. "I'm not going to be the one to point fingers. One near death experience does not make me incapable of handling my own problems."

He rolled his eyes at her. She could really be such a pain.

"Maybe not, but it would be nice if you would let me help out. You nearly _died_. Do you understand that?" he replied crossing his own arms. "You had stopped breathing. You needed CPR. The school has already called for an ambulance so that you can be taken to the hospital for a full check."

Rena groaned. Of all the places she was ever forced to go, she hated the hospital most of all. It was too sterile and too white. She looked up at Sasuke with pleading eyes.

"Do I really have to go to the hospital? Can't you make up some excuse to get me out of it?" she nearly begged.

"No," he replied flatly.

"But…"

"No."

She let out a long sigh. When Sasuke put his foot down, it took a miracle to move it. She was short a miracle. She had used her miracle of the day when she woke up still alive. That was the most magic she could ask for in one day. Instead, she chose to pout. Sasuke's gaze stayed firm. She was going to the hell hole called a hospital and there was nothing she could say or do to change his mind. Finally, she let out another sigh.

"Oh fine, I'll go without too much fuss," she replied and gave him a small smile. "It's the least I can do for you. After all, it wouldn't be nice of me to upset the man who saved my life anymore than I already have, right?"

Sasuke stayed quiet. In fact, she could have sworn he cringed a little. It baffled her as to why. The longer she lay there, the more she remembered. The last thing she had seen was a black haired boy swimming toward her. It had to be Sasuke right? But why was he acting so strangely when she brought it up? He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a knock on the door.

There were now two paramedics standing behind Sasuke in the doorway to the "sick bay." Behind them was a gurney. Rena nearly groaned aloud. It was going to be humiliating to ride on that _thing_ out to the parking lot. She really, really wished she didn't have to go. Still, she promised Sasuke she would be a good sport about it. After all, he had saved her life. It was the least she could do for him.

"We're here to pick up a Miss. Rena Asho," one of them said.

"That's me," Ren croaked out.

They paramedics helped her from the bed and onto the gurney. She tried to relax and not grimace as they began to wheel her out. She secretly thanked God when they invited Sasuke to ride along with them. It made the trip a little easier. Once at the hospital, she was taken away for checkups and test just to make sure everything was okay before wheeling her into a room for the night. The thought of staying in the hospital overnight made her sick to her stomach, but she was given no other choice.

The hospital took charge of calling her parents while Sasuke called the girls and Naruto to give them an update. It was annoying really. She was still alive wasn't she? She was breathing on her own, right? So why did she need to stay overnight? Ugh. Hospitals. She never understood them. That was part of why she hated them. Nothing they did ever seemed to make any logical sense to her. Maybe it was because she didn't have a medical degree…regardless, she found herself stuck in the hospital for the night. Wonderful.

Rena laid back on her pillows and closed her eyes. She just needed to relax. Getting all worked up wouldn't help anything. If anything, it would make her stay longer. She inhaled deeply and simply reminded herself she needed to relax. She would be home soon enough.

It was this mantra that kept her going all through the night. Sasuke and her other friends had stopped in until the end of visiting hours to make sure she was okay and give their two cents about the entire event. Like Sasuke, none of them were at all happy that she wasn't giving up the name of the person who had obviously pushed her into the water. However, there was nothing that could be said or done to change her mind. Her parents had also stopped by to check on her before the nurses shooed everyone away, raising some nonsense about Rena needing rest.

Her "rest" wasn't at all restful in her opinion. The pillows were as paper thin as the blankets, but twice as hard. She had a difficult time trying to get comfortable enough to sleep. When she finally _did_ sleep, her dreams were plagued by the event at the pool. She could see Karin's make-up encased face as she was pushed into the water as well as the sight of the black haired boy swimming toward her. The only person with which she could associate him with was Sasuke. After all, who else would dive into the water to save her?

The next morning, her mother came back to the hospital with a clean change of clothes and took Rena home. Under doctor orders, she wasn't allowed to go back to school that day. Rena hated missing school, but there were times when it really couldn't be helped. Instead, she was stuck waiting between her couch and her bedroom for school to get out. The clock ticked by the seconds slowly, until that magical hour came. The final bell had rung. Her phone immediately went off to emphasis the point.

"Hey Sasuke-kun! How was school? Was there much homework? Are the rumors bad? You're brining my homework by right? Mom says no band practice for a week, but we can still study. I don't want to fall behind. I…" she began when she answered the phone.

"Rena, breathe," he said calmly.

"I am! I just…"

"You're supposed to be resting. Why are you so wound up?" he interrupted her.

"I'm bored! You _know_ I hate missing school. I just…ugh…this entire ordeal is just stupid. It never should have happened."

"Give me a name and it won't happen again."

"Sasuke, you should know better. If you didn't see, then I'm zippin' my lips. I refuse to incriminate someone else. I can…"

"Hn. We'll be by soon. Yes, we have your homework and your mother is right. Take the week to rest. Besides, you start your job next week don't you?"

She groaned and flopped back on her bed. She hated to admit being wrong or defeated, but Sasuke had a point. She needed to rest up. She may only be a backup singer, but she was needed. If she wasn't in tip-top condition when she began her job, she wouldn't last very long. Then again, if Sasuke knew even _half_ of what she suffered there, he never would have let her go back. Oh well. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?

"Fine, I'll behave," she grumbled. "Just hurry up and get here before I completely lose my mind."

He chuckled softly making her scowl. He had always been just a bit full of himself and protective of her. It was only going to get worse after the pool incident. Still, there was something in his tone that made her frown. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe it was that he was teasing her? It wasn't really anything new, but it certainly didn't help her mood.

"We'll be there soon," he said and then hung up.

She grumbled a little more as she headed down the stairs and started getting together a snack. She knew Naruto at the very least would be scouring the cupboards for something to eat. The thought made her smile. Despite everything that had happened, there were a few things she could count on to never change.

She prepared a simple snack of cookies, crackers, cheese, and fruit. It wasn't fancy, but it would be enough to satisfy her friends while they were over. She couldn't help but smile. She really did enjoy playing the part of hostess. It wasn't long after the snack was prepared that the doorbell rang. She nearly ran to answer it. A day of sitting around the house was nearly enough to drive her to insanity out of boredom.

"And just _what_ are you doing out of bed young lady?" Ino demanded as soon as Ren opened the door. "What part of the word _rest_ do you not understand?"

Rena couldn't help but laugh as she ushered everyone in and wandered to the kitchen. Leave it to Ino to lecture her…well the first of what was sure to be many anyway. However, Ren wouldn't ask to have it any other way.

"You know me, Ino. I bounce back fast. Staying out of school today was overkill. I would've been fine."

"Says you! The _doctor_, you know, the guy who as the degree? , said you need to rest. That means you shouldn't be up roaming the house and preparing snacks!" the drama queen said exasperated as she popped a grape in her mouth and sat at the breakfast bar.

"The doctors always say to rest. I can't sit around and do nothing."

"B-but you r-really should rest, y-you know?" Hinata chimed sitting next to Ino.

"You gave us all a heart attack," Sakura continued. "Do you have any idea how worried we were that you wouldn't make it?"

"I didn't mean to make you all worry," Rena sighed sitting across from them. "It was a stupid incident that never should have happened. I'm sorry. The important thing is that I'm okay now, right Sasuke?"

It was hard to ignore the side-ways glances the others shot toward Sasuke. He simply turned his head with a "hn" and said nothing more. Rena frowned slightly. She was really hoping he would back her up, but he had probably been just as, if not more, worried than the others. Naruto walked around the bar, stuffing a cookie in his mouth, before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"You know, Ren," he said, bits of cookie flying everywhere "if you would just _tell_ us who pushed you, you wouldn't have to worry about it happening again."

"I'm not incriminating anyone, Naruto."

"It's not incriminating," he said with a sly smile. "It's not like we would turn them in at school. We would just have a…_friendly_ conversation to make sure it never happens again."

"That's almost _worse_ than incriminating them to the school who would probably insist on criminal charges being pressed. I'm not giving out any names. This is nothing I can't handle."

"But Ren!" Naruto cried, spitting cookie crumbs everywhere.

"Ew! Na-ru-to!" Ino screeched. "That's disgusting! Don't talk with your mouth full!"

"And just what are you gonna do about it?" he taunted tossing another cookie in his mouth.

"I'm warning you Naruto. Cut it out."

"Make me!"

A bit of cookie flew from his mouth and landed on Ino's clenched fist on the bar. Her eyebrow twitched once before she jumped to her feet.

"You're so _dead_!" she screeched and tried to lunge over the bar at him.

He ducked behind Rena and stuck out his tongue. Rena let out a sigh as Sakura tried to hold back the other blonde girl. Some things never changed. They may all have been good friends, but once every couple of meet and greets so to speak, someone had to start a fight and Rena always ended up in the middle. Sasuke came and dragged Naruto away from Rena.

"Do you two really need to fight?" he asked, annoyance coating his tone. "You were all just lecturing Ren on how she needs to rest. I don't think breaking up a fight is very restful."

"Hmph. He started it," Ino pouted crossing her arms and turning away from the boys.

"I thought the dobe was supposed to be the immature one, Ino. Was I wrong?"

"How dare you Sasuke! I am so…"

"It's enough," Rena cut in. "It doesn't matter who started what. I'm ending it. Do you understand? I am _not_ afraid to put you in time-out like four year olds."

"Yes ma'am," Ino and Naruto sighed before glaring at each other.

"Sasuke?" Rena said expectantly.

"Hn," he replied.

"Hn is not the correct answer. Try again."

He gave her an are-you-serious type of look. She returned it with a I'm-waiting type of look. There was a stretch of silence as they stared each other down before Sasuke finally let out a small, caving sigh.

"Fine, whatever," he replied.

"Sasuke…" Ren said in a warning tone.

"Yes ma'am," he replied in a mocking tone sticking out his tongue at her.

"Attitude is not appreciated, but I guess that's the best I'll get."

"Hn."

They laughed. It really was funny that Rena and Sasuke could get away with so much with the other. If anyone else had tried to pull mocking Ren when she was being stern, there would have been a fight. However, it was Sasuke. He was different.

Chatter filled the room not long after that. Everyone took their turn filling Rena in on what she had missed during school. Much to her surprise, everyone stayed on the academic side of what happened. Even Ino didn't give her much gossip, and certainly nothing relating to what had happened. They had even completely glossed over the topic of gym. Still, Rena tried not to think about it too much. It would have been nice to go into school prepared for the rumors, but if her friends wouldn't tell her, she wouldn't push it.

Despite the fact that they all insisted that Ren needed to rest, no one left her house until well after they had dinner. During that time, they were able to not only finish their homework, but start talking about new songs they should work on. Ren was forbidden to _practice_ with the band, but that didn't mean that she couldn't discuss the band, band matters, etc. It was fun and, above all, got her mind off of the near drowning experience. It was nice to relax for a while without feeling the pressured about what had happened or letting her mind wander to how she should handle the situation. Unfortunately, the thoughts that eluded her while her friends were over came back to haunt her that night while she was lying in bed trying to sleep.

Karin's face kept flashing before her eyes whenever she tried to shut them to sleep. All she could hear was the anger and disgust that had been in the ginger's voice before she had fallen into the pool. Rena didn't want to think about the incident, but it was difficult not to. After all, it had been an ordeal though she tried to diminish the seriousness of it. The truth still remained. Karin had almost killed her. The ginger couldn't be allowed to get away with it, but Rena couldn't tell her friends, least of all Sasuke, it was Karin who pushed her. If Sasuke ever found out, Karin would pay…dearly. Rena had never gotten along with Karin. There had always been that hateful tension between them. One of the main causes was arguably Ren's relationship with Sasuke. Regardless, Sasuke never approved of the ginger's bullying. If he found out she had gone the next step and nearly killed her?

Rena shook her head. She didn't want to think about something that wasn't going to happen so long as she had a say in the matter. It wasn't that she _liked_ keeping secrets from her best friend nor was it that she despised a good fight/argument. She just didn't want to unleash something that no one was ready for. She wasn't going to be the one to set events in motion for something that wouldn't turn out for the better. She had walked away with her share of scars in previous years. She wanted to avoid accumulating more if she could. Some scars cannot be avoided and it is the scars from the past that help make us who we are. She had learned that the hard way. The only one who she knew would understand her more than anyone was Sasuke. She loved the girls and was especially close with them. However, they weren't Sasuke. They hadn't seen the things he had. The same for Naruto.

Rena let out a frustrated sigh as she shoved her head under the pillow. She didn't want to think anymore. She just wanted to sleep. She made a mental note to try and talk to Sasuke the following day. Bottling everything up wasn't healthy and would eventually backfire. Besides, they were closer now than ever before. He had saved her life once again. The thought made her smile. She really would be lost without her best friend. She was thankful to have him. The happy note of thinking of how lucky she was to be alive and how wonderful her friends were helped her to relax and finally drift into sleep.

* * *

"_Hey, isn't she the girl that nearly drown?"_

"_Yeah! I heard she died, but Uchiha brought her back to life."_

"_How did she get so lucky?!"_

"_I heard she's dating Uchiha. Ten bucks he'll bang 'er 'n' dump 'er."_

"_He wouldn't give her the time of day."_

"_Wasn't one guy enough? Man I thought she was cool, not another slut."_

"_Think Uchiha will give me a shot at her when he's done?"_

"_I heard she faked the whole thing just so she could make out with him."_

"_God, can you believe her?"_

"_Who would've thought she'd show her face again?"_

"_Someone said she got pushed."_

"_Well maybe it wouldn't have been a problem if the freak could swim."_

"_No way! You think she _still _doesn't know how to swim? We're in high school!"_

"_I know right?!"_

"_Bet you she can't really sing either."_

The rumors swirled and stung as Rena walked through the halls. It took most of her will power not to hunch over as she tried to tune them out. The whispers were soft, but very much present. It was hard to ignore them. Sasuke only left her side when he absolutely had to. Despite his constant presence, the rumors still drifted. She knew she should have been prepared for the worst, but she was quite prepared for how bad the reality really was.

By the time lunch rolled around, there had been a definite change in the mood. Sasuke had barely left her side unless class separated them. He was even grouchier than normal. The rumors were growing, some more vicious than others. Ino was continuously shooting death glares to keep the worst of the rumor spreaders back. Even Hinata's and Naruto's moods had changed to more sour ones. Rena felt immediately uncomfortable when she sat down at the lunch table. Everyone was quiet. That never helped ease a tense situation.

"Maybe we should sit somewhere else," Sakura said glaring at a group of girls as they passed whispering rumors.

"Where else can we go?" Naruto spat. "Those _vultures_ are everywhere."

"Guys, it's not that big of a deal. Everyone will find something more interesting soon enough. We just have to be patient," Ren tried to sooth.

She hated the tension that engulfed them. It was suffocating. The atmosphere was _never _ that tense, even with the occasional fight. It made a cold sweat start to pool at the base of her neck and her fight-or-flight response start itching at her. It was uncomfortable, but Naruto had a point. There was nowhere in the school they could go to escape the rumors.

"Normally, I'd admire your tolerance and ability to look past rumors and gossip, but this?" Ino began, gesturing to the surrounding cafeteria. "This is just ridiculous and pretty damn hard to ignore. I swear, if I catch wind of one more nasty rumor, I'm gonna pop someone."

"I-I don't think that would help, I-Ino," Hinata replied.

"Hmph. It make _me_ feel better."

Rena nibbled at the sandwich she had brought for her lunch and glanced at Sasuke. He was quiet. He occasionally would glare at a group spreading a new rumor, but other than that, he kept his eyes on the table. She had rarely ever seen him so quiet. It worried her. It even made her begin to wonder if there was more to this whole near-drowning experience than anyone was willing to tell her.

"Sasuke-kun?" she began softly.

He glanced over at her, but she hesitated. What could she say? Ask if he was alright? If there was something he wasn't telling her? She wasn't sure.

"They won't bother you," he said. "Don't worry so much."

_I'm not the one I'm worried about_ she thought as she returned to her lunch.

After lunch, they parted ways for their next courses and she promised Sasuke she would meet up with him again for gym. She spent the next two periods (History and Food and Nutrition) trying not to think about gym. The thought of having to return to the scene of the crime (so to speak) nearly made her shudder. The rumors were bad around the school, sure, but having to return to the pool would be worse by far. She tried to shake the feeling of dread as she walked with Naruto toward the gymnasium. She kept her head bent and did what she could to stick close to her friend. However, the hallways were always crowded, so it was easy to get separated. She hardly even noticed. She mind was too consumed with trying to block out the rumors. She finally looked up when she bumped into someone.

"Sorry," she immediately mumbled as she recovered her balanced and did her best not to lose any papers or books.

"It's fine," a boy chuckled.

She shyly glanced up, worried it was one of the rumor spreaders wanted to confront her. Much to her surprise, it was the boy Ino had identified as Itachi. This was the second time she had bumped into him. She averted her eyes, busying herself with making sure she hadn't lost anything.

"You know, we really should stop bumping into each other like this, but I suppose it _is_ better than the last time I saw you."

"I'll try to be more careful next time," she replied ready to move past him.

"I'm glad you're doing alright. You really gave us all a scare."

She looked up at him confused. Was her near drowning experience really the only thing people were talking about?

"What are you talking about?"

"Didn't Sasuke tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Her heart started beating faster. Didn't Sasuke tell her what? Was there something more she was supposed to be aware of? Fear started building up again. What could there possibly be that Sasuke wouldn't tell her? Wait, how did Itachi know Sasuke? Sasuke had never mentioned anything about him before. What the hell was going on?

"That the other day…"

"Rena!" Naruto called rushing over.

He put an arm protectively around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She looked up at him, hoping she had pushed the worst of the panic and confusion out of her face. Naruto had always been a good friend and had no problem standing up to others, but it wasn't like him to be so overly protective. That was usually Sasuke's job. His cerulean eyes didn't even glance at her. They were locked on the upperclassmen before them. The blonde boy was actually glowering and nearly scowling. What the hell was going on?!

"Come on, Ren, we should get going," Naruto said.

"Naruto…?"

"You seem to think I'm the bad guy in all of this, but I'm not," Itachi said. "The rumors didn't come from me."

She looked back at the upperclassmen. Now she was really confused. Itachi knew of the rumors? Okay, so that wasn't that big of a surprise, but the fact that he said they didn't start with him and Naruto's reaction was. What weren't they telling her? Naruto gripped her shoulders tighter.

"Why don't you just shut your mouth and leave her alone?" the blonde boy spat

"She can talk to whomever she pleases. I did nothing wrong."

"Why I oughta…"

"Naruto! Ren!" Sakura called rushing over.

She took the other side of Rena and shot a glare at the upperclassmen. Ren was sure her head was about to pop off from all the spinning. What was going on? Sakura was in on the whole thing?

"Come on guys, we have to get to class. Gai will make us run extra laps if we're late," the pink-haired girl said as she pushed her friends away.

"Take care, Rena," Itachi called after them.

Sakura gritted her teeth and Naruto squeezed his hand into a fist.

"It isn't worth it, Naruto," Sakura said. "Just let it go."

"But that bastard…"

"It's enough."

"But…"

"What the hell is going on?" Rena demanded pulling from them.

She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to face them. She felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack. What was with all the secrets? What weren't they telling her?

"Don't worry about it, Ren," Sakura tried to comfort her. "Let's just get to class."

"Don't worry about it?" the blonde girl scoffed. "That's kind of hard when it feels like you two are talking over my head. What's going on? How does Itachi know Sasuke? What hasn't Sasuke told me? What is it that everyone seems to be trying so hard to keep from me?"

"Rena- chan, it's…" Naruto began.

"Don't you _dare_ tell me it's nothing, Naruto. I've never seen _either_ of you take such an immediate dislike to someone."

"It's just…"

"Rena."

She turned to see Sasuke walking toward them. She crossed her arms and glowered at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, the concern almost immediate.

"I don't know, Sasuke, why don't you tell me?" she snapped. "What has everyone been keeping from me? You know I hate secrets."

"You have your share of secrets," he replied.

"Not ones where everyone else seems to know except one person like this. Did something else happen the other day when I nearly drown?"

"Did someone say something to you?"

"You're not answering my question."

"It was Itachi," Naruto pipped up. "They bumped into each other and…"

He trailed off when she shot him a death glare. She returned her attention back to her best friend. She could feel the tears sting her eyes. It wasn't necessarily so much that there was a secret being kept from her. Everyone had secrets and their reasons for keeping them. What bothered her the most was that she couldn't be sure of what all happened when she had nearly drowned. Most of the event was still fuzzy though she thought she had puzzled out most of it on her own. It was her life that had been in danger, damn it. She had a right to know all the details of what happened, even if she didn't like it.

"That's another thing. How to you know Itachi? Or him you? Or…whatever! Why did he ask me 'didn't Sasuke tell you?' I know there's something going on and I need to know what."

Sasuke let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't quite seem annoyed or upset, but there was something there that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She opened her mouth to press the topic further, but he simply reached out and hugged her. She blinked back the tears and struggled a little.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

A few tears escaped. Sasuke wasn't one to say he was sorry very often. She wasn't sure what he was apologizing for and part of her was scared to even find out. She stopped fighting and hugged him back. The more she thought about it, that was what had driven her to the near panic attack and to yell at her friends. Fear. It wasn't often that any of them saw her really scared, but the near death experience had taken its toll and the rumors were continually digging at her. Maybe she really wasn't ready to come back to school. But it wasn't like she would've been able to stay at home any longer. Running away would get her nowhere.

"I just need to know what happened," she whispered.

He gave her another tight squeeze. He knew he would have to tell her eventually, but he couldn't just yet. He was ready to face the reality. It was bad enough the school was littered with rumors. He could see the toll it was taking on her. Telling her everything that had happened that day would be too much. Not knowing and keeping it from her was bad enough, but he could deal with it. He knew her reaction. Her reaction to what really happened was what he couldn't predict. Until there was a better time to handle such a delicate situation, he would let her go on believing that he had saved her and do what he could to keep the rumors at bay.

"Later," he said. "For right now, let's just focus on getting through the rest of today."

"I'll hold you to that, Sasuke," she said with a half laugh.

"Hn," he said, then thought, _I expect nothing less from you…you're too stubborn for your own good._

* * *

Sasuke didn't bring up the Itachi incident the rest of the week much to Rena's disappointment. He had promised to explain later, but that was the loop hole. Since "later" was never specified, he could put it off as long as he wanted to. Anytime Rena tried to ask him, he would redirect the conversation. At school, it was just encouraging her to get through another day. When they worked on homework, it was encouraging her to get through the work. Any other time, he just kept telling her she needed to rest up to make sure she was ready for her job to start. Loop holes were a real pain the ass at times. Still, she tried not to push it too much.

The rumors were still vicious, but Ino had worked overtime in order get the worst of them to subside. It helped make the school day go more smoothly. Itachi had tried to talk with her on more than one occasion, but her friends were quick to separate them. It confused her and made the entire situation almost worse. It was usually after he tried to talk with her that she came close to suffering a panic attack. The end result was that Sasuke would simply hug her until she calmed back down. She hated the fact that she still didn't know, but what could she do? Her best friends wouldn't tell her and she couldn't ask anyone else without risking a panic attack. Her only remaining option was to be patient.

"Sorry we can't make it tonight, Ren," Sakura said as they walked home from school. "You know we would _love_ to come support you."

"It's okay, Sakura, I understand. Stuff happens," Rena smiled.

"Yeah, well, if _some people_ would have helped with the project earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Oh shut up forehead. Don't try and pin this all on me. It's not like I didn't _try_," Ino replied. "You're just…"

"Guys it's enough!" Ren interrupted before the argument got too out of hand. "You two can work on the project and then come see me next time. Besides, it's not like I have a big part or anything. I'm just a back up singer."

"Which isn't right, by the way," Naruto piped up. "Have they _not_ heard you sing? You shouldn't be the one in the background."

Rena let out a sigh. None of her friends thought she deserved to be pushed to the background, but the world of entertainment was fickle. The lead girl was loved by the club owner and the favorites were the ones who were put up front, not necessarily the most talented. It was a hard truth, but it was nearly impossible to explain to anyone. She had tried to fight her position once, but was threatened by the loss of her job so she learned how to keep quiet. The spending cash was almost too much to pass up. As long as she had the job, she didn't have to ask her parents for money when she wanted to hang out with friends or whatever. She could also start saving for college, a car, etc. She could tough it out and backup was better than nothing.

"It's fine Naruto. Maybe if I play my cards right, I'll get a chance for a solo. I'm not going to push it though. I'm just happy I got the job."

"Hmph. It still doesn't seem right. You could dance circles around that other girl."

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself tonight?" Sasuke asked.

She knew he was worried. It was the first time he was sending her off on her own. While it was a public place, there was still a chance of the rumors reaching her. She gave him a smile, hoping to reassure him.

"I'll be fine, Sasuke. Don't be such a worry wart."

"Hn. I could…" he began.

"You are _not_ skipping practice because you feel the need to _babysit_ me. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself, you know. None of you have to go out of your way to keep an eye on me."

"S-still, a-are you really o-okay with none of us being there?" Hinata asked.

While Rena was disappointed none of her friends would be in the audience, she did understand. Sasuke and Naruto had soccer tryouts/practice. Ino and Sakura were working on a school project and Hinata had lessons. Their schedules couldn't always sync up. Besides, it would be nice not to be continually monitored for a while or worry about the secrets that were being kept from her. She could just focus on her job.

"It'll be fine, Hinata. I understand that everyone gets busy. I would never ask you guys to drop everything for me."

"Are you _sure_ you don't want us to skip practice?" Naruto asked. "We could…"

"No, Naruto. You're not going in with a bad impression because of me. Just go have fun. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure…"

"Not another word on the topic," Rena interrupted him. "I'll be fine going to work, and you all will go about with your other activities."

There was a group grumble as they consented. They knew there was no point in arguing with her. Once Ren put her foot down, it was the end of discussion. It was one of the best and worst things about her.

Rena waved goodbye to her friends as she turned down her street and headed home. She dropped her backpack on the counter and got together a small snack of cheese and crackers with water. She needed to be careful what she ate before a performance, but she also knew she needed to eat something or she would regret it later. She breezed through her homework before taking a shower and getting dressed. As a background singer, she wore a knee length, sequined, black dress. The top was sleeveless with a v-neck collar that gave her plenty of coverage (much to her father's delight). She packed her jeans, t-shirt, and black pumps in a gym bag before pulling her hair back into a French twist and putting on some light make-up. Around five, she put on her tennis shoes and walked to the club.

As she walked, Rena practiced her breathing exercises and sipped at her water. She was given the summer off from working at the club to work on her own music and spend time with her family. Now she had to get used to being pushed to the background again. The owner and manager of the club had liked her enough during the audition. In fact, they said she would have been a prime pick for solo…that is until Sasha came. She was a relative of the manager and had used her relation in order to put her foot through the door and steal the spotlight. She was a spoiled brat and a diva to boot. If Rena hadn't loved performing so much and needed a job, she would have quit ages ago due to Sasha.

Sasha had an iron grip over the performance part of the club. She was the star and ran the show. If something didn't go her way, she threw a class A tantrum and would stop in the middle of rehearsal until she was given her way. The rest of the background singers were either too afraid to stick up to her or had their noses so far up Sasha's ass there were no longer two separate people. Those who brown-nosed were the worst. Sasha only had to give the word and they would do just about anything they said. The male dancers and back-up singers were taken by her beauty and were willing to do just about anything she asked. Sasha's control had led to more than one occasion where Rena was left staring down a fist. Everyone knew Rena had talent. Sasha didn't want to get pushed out. It was only natural for heads to butt. All Rena could do was do her best to keep her head above water and try not to cause trouble.

Rena reached the club and waved to the manager before disappearing into the dressing rooms. She put her bag into her locker and switched into her black pumps. She gave herself a quick glance in the mirror as the other girls chatted and got ready. As usual, Rena was mostly ignored and she was sure to be out of the way before Sasha came close.

Out in the club area, Rena sat at the bar and occasionally talked with some of the patrons. A few were regulars that she recognized from the previous school year. Unlike Sasha, she had no problem getting to know the customers so long as no one made a grab for her. She was usually safer when she was sitting with her friends, but they couldn't show every time.

Finally, the manager signaled for her to head back stage. They were about to begin. When Rena made her way back, Sasha shot her a nasty glare while she fluffed out her hair, trying to make herself look "sexier." To Rena, it made Sasha look like she had bed hair half the time, but whatever. It wasn't her group so she wasn't responsible for how everyone else looked. A poor attitude? Maybe, but it let Ren keep her sanity and Ino at bay.

Rena took her place in the middle of the other girls, with the boys in place behind them. The boys were mostly used for dancing, but, like the girls, they had their leader who always stood by Sasha's side and was given the "leads" so to speak. It never really made sense to Rena that Andrew (the lead boy) would follow Sasha so easily. They were complete opposites. Sasha was the diva, and Andrew was the grounded guy who just loved music. It was strange seeing them together, but luckily they had never (nor would they ever) date. Andrew was Sasha's cousin. That was the only reason that Ren could see for him putting up with her. Family was family and you were expected to stand by them…no matter how intolerable.

The curtain rose and the spot light hit Sasha as the music began. Rena loved performing, but it was disappointing to be shoved in the back. Still, she did as she had rehearsed so many times before. The opener was "Dirty Little Secret" by All American Rejects. Rena followed her part, never once stepping out of line. The audience cheered. She couldn't help but smile as she continued on through the performance. Even if she was stuck in the back, she was a performer. She didn't need the spotlight to enjoy herself or put on a good show. She just needed to be on stage.

All in all, the show seemed to be going well. The crowd loved Sasha and Andrew. Rena did what she was suppose to and tried not to cringe and the occasional sour note. It would end in another evening of "Praise Sasha" and then she could go home and crash.

If only it were that easy.

During one of the dance breaks of "Bad Boy" by Cascada, Sasha tripped. Silence stretched across the stage and for a moment, everything seemed to freeze. Sasha stared up at her partner in shock that quickly turned to anger. She got to her feet with an angered scream, ignoring Andrew's helping hand.

"Good luck finishing the show without me!" she called over the music before storming off. "Losers!"

Whispers flew. What was going to happen? The music was still playing and they would need a singer soon. Andrew looked back at the background singers, hoping for help. The manager was spitting curses as he tried to figure out what to do.

"You once made this promise to stay by my side, but after some time you just pushed me aside. You never thought that a girl could be strong. Now I'll show you how to go on," Rena sang stepping forward when the cue came.

She didn't do it to steal the spot light. She did it to keep the show going. She knew all the songs and all of Sasha's part. It was stuff she had done a dozen times for her own band. Nothing she couldn't pull off. She had only planned on finishing out the song. It would be just enough to tide them over to break and give the manager sometime to figure out the next move. She finished the song and the manager called for their intermission.

"Thanks so much for you help," Andrew said patting her shoulder. "You were amazing."

"Thanks," she replied with a smile.

"Rena!" The manager called. "We need to talk."

She mentally cursed as he pulled her to the back. Didn't she save the show and prevent a riot? Why did being a good person get her in trouble? She did _not_ want to be lectured. She had spent enough time getting lectured at home by her friends and family about the near death experience. She didn't need to add to it at work.

"What do you think you're doing?" the manager demanded spinning around to face her.

"I was just…" she began crossing her arms defensively.

"You were fantastic! And quick on your feet too!"

She stared at him for a moment and blinked very slowly.

"What?"

"I said you did fantastic. You were really great and it was great of you to step up like that. You've got some great initiative! Think you could finish the night as lead?"

Rena blinked again. She couldn't quite wrap her head around what was happening. She wasn't being lectured? She was actually being…praised? And being asked to finish the night as lead?

"What?" she repeated blinking her eyes.

"Now, we have to do something about your outfit. Did you bring other clothes? Or something that could make you stand out more?"

"Uh…" she began and shook her head. "I have a t-shirt and jeans for the walk home. I didn't bring any other work clothes. I wasn't prepared to…"

"We'll make it do. It'll certainly make you stand out against the background singers…"

He shook his head as if clearing it. He gave her smile, his decision was made.

"You go get changed and I'll take care of the rest. If this goes well, I see big things happening for you, Asho!"

With that he left her. She stood there a moment and blinked as everything slowly processed through her mind. She was just given the part of lead singer for the night. This was her one big chance to take a step forward. Dear God. She nearly panicked as she took off toward the locker room. She had one shot to make a good impression. One shot. Normally, she wouldn't have felt the pressure. She worked well under pressure. What was so different this time?

Sasha.

Sasha had made trouble for Rena before when she was suspected of being a threat to the lead's position. If Sasha found out that Rena actually stood a chance? It would not end well. Her tantrum in the middle of the show would only be the tip of the iceberg. What was to come would be much worse. Rena shook the thought from her head. She didn't have time to worry about that now. Instead, her job was on the line.

When she got to the dressing room, she spun the dial on her lock, pulled out her bag, and dug through it. She changed into a teal, v-neck, t-shirt that showed just a little bit of cleavage, but left her with enough covered for her to still be modest. She pulled on her jeans and tennis shoes. She stared at her reflection for a while before taking out her French twist. She ran her fingers through it a few times debating how to redo it. Finally, she decided on simply pulling it into a ponytail. It was simple, but it would also keep it out of her way for the most part while she performed. Since this was impromptu, she wasn't expected to look fantastic. Still, she did stand out from the others which would be the advantage of being the lead. Yet, she didn't stand out so much that she was too worried about Sasha feeling like she was shown up.

Before she knew it, Rena was being called back to the stage. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she felt herself flush. She took a steadying breath before stepping forward with Andrew. She could do this. She loved the stage, she loved performing. Andrew whispered good luck and the curtain rose again. She opened her eyes, she smiled and they began. They sang a variety of songs and she kept up beautifully. The audience ate it up. She enjoyed it. More than enjoyed it, she _loved_ it. By the end of the night, she was tired, but she really loved it.

"You did a really great job," Andrew said handing her a bottle of water off stage.

"Thanks Andrew. I'm just glad I could help," she replied with a smile.

"Well, you were great. I hope you get to take the lead again."

She flushed. She rarely got complimented from others that were not friends and family. It was a nice change of pace from all the snide comments she usually received from her co-workers.

"Thanks," she replied. "I'll see you around!"

She went back to the locker room, packed up her dress and pumps, and headed out. Since she had to change for the performance it meant she could leave a little earlier. Sometimes, she would stay after work to hang out, but since she didn't really know anyone in the audience, she decided to call it a night. Besides, if she could avoid Sasha, she would. She said goodbye to Andrew, the owner, and the manager, then headed out.

The cool night air kissed her face. She welcomed it with open arms. Performing took a lot of energy and could get someone easily over heated. The night air was refreshing compared to the club. It was a beautiful night. The sky was clear with a waxing moon shinning among the stars. A light breeze blew. She closed her eyes for a moment, simply enjoying the night. She couldn't wait to get home and tell Sasuke, Naruto, and the girls how her opening night went.

Suddenly, she was thrown into the nearby brick wall. Her eyes flew open. She looked around only to be thrown into the wall again.

"You must think you're pretty great, huh?" someone sneered as they punched her chest.

She grunted and looked up to see she had been surrounded. She couldn't put a name to the guy, but she knew it was one of the dancers that was under Sasha's thumb.

_Shit_. _This isn't going to end well_ she thought with a cringe.

"Maybe you'll think twice before you try to take Sasha's place," another threatened.

They began to beat her. She couldn't be sure where any one punch came from. She tried her best to block the blows and even tried to fight back a little. She didn't really try to hurt anyone. She just wanted to get away. Two guys were sent to hold her arms back while others hit her. Blood filled her mouth. Still, she never cried. She spit, grunted, and coughed, but she did her best not to cry. She wouldn't give them or Sasha that kind of satisfaction. Still, it was one of the worse beatings she had received.

"What are you doing?!"

"None of your business. Get out of he – "

She heard the punch, but surprisingly enough, didn't feel it. She peered up cautiously. Her face felt like it was swollen and the rest of her was sore, but she was curious. Much to her surprise, her attackers attention had been drawn to someone else. The newcomer (who had called out) was fighting them off. She couldn't believe her eyes. Someone was sticking up for her? None of her friends were in the audience…none of them even knew about the bullying at work. Sasuke had always suspected, but even he wasn't sure. Who would be sticking up for her?

"Come on, let's get out of here. This bitch isn't worth it," one of her attackers said.

The others agreed and they all took off. She slumped against the wall and let her head hang. Her breathing was heavy and everything ached, but at least it was over. She could sit there for a short while to recover, then she'd walk home like nothing happened. She just needed a little bit of time.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up confused. Who was sticking around to check on her? Before her stood none other than Itachi. She couldn't believe her eyes. What were the odds of him showing up here and now? Were her eyes playing tricks on her?

"Rena, it is you," he said. "I thought so. Are you alright?"

She stared at him. She knew she looked like a wreck. She could feel her ponytail falling out and she even thought her shirt was torn, or at the very least stretched. None of that seemed to matter. All she could think of was asking why. Why was he there? Why did he go through the effort of helping her? Why did he stop those guys? He knelt in front of her.

"Are you alright? Can you hear me?" he repeated.

She blinked slowly before nodding once. She cringed slightly. She really had a number done on her. She would feel it in the morning, that was certain. Then again, she really shouldn't have expected any less when dealing with Sasha and "her territory."

"Can you get up?" he asked.

"I…" she began before coughing to the side, getting rid of some blood. "I think so. I just…I just need a minute."

"Let me help you."

It still didn't make sense. Why was he helping her? Why was he always popping up wherever she went? It didn't add up. She didn't even realize she had taken his hand until he was pulling her up. Her muscles screamed in protest, but she somehow managed to get to her feet.

"Are you sure you're alright? I can give you a lift home," he said, concern coating his tone.

She shook her head. She didn't need help. She was fine. She just wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and worry about the mess in the morning. She needed to rest. She was sure she told him so.

"Rena? Rena! Take it easy!" he said.

She was confused. Take it easy? She was only swaying a little, wasn't she? Then again, when did he get so much taller? She had to crane her neck to see his face. What was going on? Darkness crept around of the edges of her vision. She just wanted to sleep. Maybe if she could just close her eyes for a moment then she would be fine.

"Rena!"

That was the last thing she heard before her world went black.

* * *

"Rena? Rena!" Itachi called, but there was no response.

She had passed out in his arms. He let out a low sigh. Those guys had no class. Beating up on a defenseless girl? Disgusting. He shook his head. Well, he couldn't just leave her. He was at least a type of gentlemen. Gently, he picked her up and carried her to his car. She was poor condition. He drove back toward his house. He would take her back and get her back up to snuff. After that, maybe he could figure out what happened to lead to this mess. It really was despicable that men would be so willing to beat a girl.

It didn't take him long to get home. Since the lights were all off, he guessed that no one else was in yet. His parents often worked late and Sasuke was probably still at practice or with Naruto. Either way, it mean he had the house to himself. Carefully, he carried Rena in and up to his room. He laid her on the bed before he examined her injuries. She would have several bruises and it looked like she had a couple of cuts. It was nothing that she couldn't recover from and a little first aid wouldn't help. Still, it wasn't pretty. He administered the first-aid and put away the materials. The only thing left to do was wait. He had considered leaving her in his room and giving her some privacy, but he didn't want her to wake up and panic being in a new area. Instead, he simply sat at his desk and mostly surfed the internet.

It was almost an hour later that Rena finally forced her eyes open. The room seemed so bright in comparison to the alley near the club. She covered her eyes to block out the light and tried not to groan. Her muscles screamed in protest. On the bright side, the bed was extremely comfortable. She felt like she could lay there all day.

She bolted up right. Bed? Hadn't she been in an alley getting her ass handed to her? How the hell did she end up in a bed? Her heart rate kicked into overdrive. She need to figure out what happened at fast.

"Take it easy. You're safe."

She snapped her head to the side to seek Itachi walking the short distance from the desk toward her. Her breathing felt fast and shallow. Dear God. What happened? Why was she in a bedroom with Itachi?

"Do you remember…"

"What…the hell…happened?" she asked softly.

"There was a fight in the alley…"

"Right, I know that. How the hell…"

"You passed out. I brought you home and patched you up. Nothing else."

She stared at him for a minute. A slight smirk appeared on his lips as he sat on the edge of the bed. It was a shadow of a smirk like what she had seen with Sasuke. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back.

"You know, we should stop meeting like this. If I keep saving you, people are going to talk."

She furrowed her brow in confusion.

"What do you mean? This is the first time you saved me….thank you by the way."

He looked at her confused, but the smirk was still there.

"So, he didn't tell you? About the pool?"

"Look Itachi, I really don't know what you're talking about. It's infuriating really. What are you talking about? Why does it seem like everyone else knows something I don't? How do you know Sasuke? What is he not telling me? And _why _does it seem to involve you?"

For a moment, Itachi grew quiet and his smile faded slightly. For a moment, Rena wondered if she had over stepped her boundaries. But, damn it, she was tired of the secrets. He was the one that said he had saved her before. Wasn't it about damn time someone answered her?

"I was the one who pulled you from the pool," Itachi said at last.

"W-What?" she replied after a pregnant silence.

"I was the one who pulled you from the pool and revived you. I'm not sure why Sasuke wasn't telling you, but he is an odd kid at times."

"I don't understand. How do you know…?"

"Hm? He didn't tell you that either? I thought it was obvious. Sasuke and I…"

There was a knock on the door that temporarily distracted Itachi. Rena's mind was swirling. True, she had wanted information, but now she was beginning to wonder if she had been ready to hear it all. Was it too much? She could almost feel the panic attack coming and Sasuke was nowhere around to help prevent it. Stupid near death experience that leads to panic attacks.

"Come in," Itachi called.

"I'm back. Practice ran late. I'm heading to…"

Sasuke stood in the doorway, his sentence trailing off. His fist tightened around the door handle at the sight before him. He could scarcely believe his eyes. He stared at Rena, his best friend, laying on his brother's bed. He had a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from getting up. "

"What is going on?!" he growled.

"Sasuke, I can explain_,_" she began.

She wasn't sure why, but she felt compelled to explain to him. She wanted to tell him not to worry, why she was there, how she had gotten there. The problem was, she didn't even really know all the details herself. She had her own questions. Like, why was he there?

"Then please, do so," he snarled.

Rena swallowed. What was she going to do?

* * *

**A/N: And there it is! I finally got around to including the summary lines :P Anyway, like I said at the start, it doesn't feel like my best work, but you can be the judge of that! Reviews are love and help me become better. Let me know what you all think!  
**  
**Best wishes!  
**

**Rinoa-san  
**


	6. Coming Clean

**A/N: Hello my wonderful fans! I am so, SO sorry that I haven't posted in so long. I plan on getting better about that now that summer is here. I also hope that inspiration/my muse will be more forgiving and helpful *sweat drop*  
Anyway, here is chapter six. I know it isn't much, but I hope you enjoy. I will try to update as soon as possible. Please forgive any mistakes or grammar errors ans I did not have the time to really proof read this. :/ Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter Six: Coming Clean_

Rena swallowed again as she stared up at Sasuke. He glowered back. It took her a moment to realize, however, that his glower was not intended for her. It was aimed directly at Itachi. What was going on between those two?

"I'm waiting," Sasuke snarled through clenched teeth.

"I…that is…" she began. "What happened was…it's really not…it started…I didn't…"

She couldn't find the words. Nothing sounded right. Then again, how could she explain when she only knew part of the story? Didn't _he_ owe _her_ an explanation too? Like what was he doing in Itachi's house? How did the two know each other? Itachi had almost revealed that detail to her when Sasuke showed up. She was missing too many pieces of the puzzle to coherently explain how she ended up in Itachi's bed. She mentally cringed. The entire scene must look just awful in Sasuke's eyes. Here she was being held down in Itachi's bed, saying she could explain, then finding herself to be at a loss for words. Perfect. Just freaking perfect.

"Rena ran into some trouble near the club and I gave her a hand. Nothing more," Itachi finally spoke up. "You act as if a crime has been committed, Sasuke. We've done nothing more than talk."

"What did you tell her?" Sasuke demanded, his arms going to his sides, his hands balled into shaking fists.

"Is the topic of our conversation really that interesting to you, little brother?"

"Brother?!" Rena blurted before she could stop herself.

She forced herself to sit up despite Itachi's hand. She could only stare between the two boys. Brothers? They were _brothers_?! How could Sasuke not tell her? How could she not _see_ that before? They looked so alike. She was torn between being upset and feeling like an idiot. She was upset that she was only meeting Sasuke's brother _now_. However, she felt like an idiot because she didn't see the signs sooner. They looked remarkably similar. Really, only an idiot would have missed it…which only made her feel worse. She knew Sasuke had an older brother, but it was one of those topics they avoided. Why? Sasuke never liked his older brother. The reason was far beyond Rena and she never had any reason to question it before. Now it seemed like something she needed an answer to. Now, it affected her. Now, it had lead her best friend to lie to her.

"Yes. I'm guessing he didn't tell you that either?" Itachi replied, smiling at her.

She stared at the older Uchiha, forcing her mind to process the information. Who else knew? Naruto? Sakura? Ino? Hinata? Had everyone been keeping this from her? What else were they keeping from her? She could only shake her head in response.

"It does not surprise me. Sasuke…"

"Shut up!" the younger Uchiha growled.

Silence stretched for a while. Sasuke continued to glare at the elder Uchiha who responded by staring steadily back. Rena sat on the bed, her head spinning. Nothing really made sense. There was so much that was left unknown and in this case, she felt…betrayed. Why did Sasuke keep this information from her? What else was he keeping from her? She could feel panic attack start to swell on the edge of her mind. Something had to be done to clear the air. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with her best friend, but if they didn't clear the air soon, she was sure a fight would happen.

Sasuke turned to the side with a "tch," curling his hands into tight fists. Was he shaking? Was he really that angry? Guilt washed over Rena. She hadn't meant to upset him so much. She opened her mouth, but the words fizzled on her lips. She didn't know _what_ to say let alone _how_ to say it. She closed her mouth again and swallowed. What could she do now? What was the next step? Sasuke walked briskly across the floor and grabbed her arm.

"Come on, Ren. Let's go," he said, tugging on her arm.

"Uh…" she began, casting a quick glance toward Itachi, who didn't return her glance. "S-sure."

With a little struggle, she managed to get out of bed and followed as Sasuke nearly dragged her from the room. Just before she turned from the doorway, she glanced back at the elder Uchiha. He stared, stone faced back and said nothing. She thought about saying something, but her moment passed as Sasuke pulled her away. He dragged her down the hallway that was fairly familiar to her until they reached his room and he dragged her inside. She stumbled behind him.

Once they were safely in his room, Sasuke let go of her and all but slammed the door shut. She stumbled to his bed and sat down quietly. The beating she had suffered after work was still rather fresh and now that some of the excitement had died down, she could feel the aches and pain. The dizziness that had kept her pinned to Itachi's bed hit her once more. She locked her eyes on her feet and used her arms to brace herself, gripping Sasuke's sheets for fear of falling. It had been a way too eventful for the past few…however long it had been since this whole ordeal began. Sasuke let out an aggravated sigh. She could imagine him running his fingers through his hair as he turned to face her.

"Rena, you…" he began, the anger and frustration clear in his voice.

But he didn't continue. The words trialed away, silence overcoming him. She could feel him looking over her, concerned. He probably hadn't been able to absorb the whole situation or her exact condition when he initially saw her. He had probably been too side-tracked by the fact that she, his best friend, was pinned to his big brother's bed.

Man, this really was a mess.

She barely heard his footsteps, but she did feel the bed sink next to her as he sat down. She took a few, slow breathes trying to steady herself. Whatever happened next would be crucial, it would probably determine if they would spend the next several hours fighting and risking everything or if they were going to be okay.

"Rena?" he said softly.

She didn't reply. She couldn't. She didn't feel nearly stable enough. Carefully, he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Are you okay? He…he didn't…"

"No," she croaked shaking her head. "He didn't do anything. I was…I just…it's stupid."

He was quiet for a moment before pulling her to his chest, holding her close. She hugged him back feeling tears spill over. She knew they would "talk" and during the course of the talk they were bound to fight. However, they would be okay. She could just feel it.

For a long time, he didn't say anything. He simply held her and tears slipped by, soaking her shirt. She was finally able to get control of herself, but she let herself continue to lean against Sasuke. She was finally getting her emotions under control and she would be able to think more clearly about the situation. However, her physical condition did not match her mind. She didn't want to admit it, but she wasn't so sure she would be able to sit up for a full conversation like the one she knew would come. They continue to sit in silence. He rubbed her back in a comforting manner, not really pushing her to talk or pull away. On some level, she was sure he was just happy she was okay….well, relatively speaking of course.

"Rena, what happened?" he asked at last.

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes, it does. I'm not an idiot. Something happened. I need to know what."

"I-It's stupid."

"Then tell me."

She let out a long sigh. She really didn't want to tell him anything. He was her best friend. She told him everything. But when it came to bullies, she was less inclined to tell him. The last thing she wanted was for him to start a fight because someone did something to her. She wanted to believe that she could handle things on her own. Sasha was no different. She was just another bully that she had to deal with. On the other hand, maybe it was time for her to come clean…at least about this particular instance. If she did, she may be able to coerce him to do the same. There were too many secrets between them. It was time to clear the air.

"I…I kind of took center stage tonight. Sasha fell and stormed off. So, I took her place. The manager loved it and asked me to finish out the night."

"That's not stupid. That's great. It also doesn't explain how you got here," he replied surprisingly patient.

"Well, some people got upset and…and kinda, sorta…jumped me after work. I tried to fight them off, but they got me off guard. It was actually Itachi who stepped in and scared them off. After that…well, things got kind of fuzzy. Next thing I knew, I was here and he had already applied the first- aide."

"Has this…happened before?"

She didn't reply. She should have known that would have been the first question he would ask. It was always the first question he asked whenever she confessed to getting bullied. He wanted to know how long it had been going on, then he would sulk for not being able to prevent it, then become overly protective until the heat died down. It was the same every time. Why would she ever expect something different? She almost laughed in spite of herself, but bit it back. He tightened his grip slightly.

"Damn it, Ren," he growled. "You can't keep hiding stuff like this from me. First the pool thing, now this? How far are you going to push until you let me help? You could have landed yourself in the hospital _again_. This is…"

"It's not like I _ask _for stuff like this to happen," she replied pushing away from him. "Stuff happens. I can handle it."

"Handle it? You let yourself get taken away by a stranger!"

"A guy who _shouldn't_ be a stranger to me. He's your brother! Why did I not know this? I knew you didn't _like_ your brother, but I never thought you would keep his identity a _complete_ secret from me. Or how about the fact that _he_ was the one that pulled me from the pool? Why didn't _you_ tell _me_? You talk to me about keeping secrets, but _you _were keeping such big ones from me. On top of that, you had everyone else involved. Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Hinata…the entire school knew the truth about what happened…everyone except _me_."

"I did that to _protect _ you!"

"Protect me? How does keeping what really happened when I almost….almost…ugh when that happened away from me?"

"You didn't need to be involved."

"I _am _involved! It's my life, Sasuke. You can't keep stuff like this from me."

Silence stretched between them. It was just part of the inevitable fight. Once they got past this, then they could move on. First, they had to come clean.

"You had panic attacks," he said softly.

"Because you were keeping information from me."

"You've been keeping information from me."

"I know."

"And?"

"And…" she took a deep breath and sighed "And I understand why you're upset. But you know me. I don't like being babied. I'm a big girl and can take care of myself."

"Your injuries say otherwise."

"Sasuke, things happen. You've known me for how long? Sometime it can't be prevented….it wouldn't have changed if you had been standing right there. I hate when you spend all your time blaming yourself. I promise I'll be more careful next time."

"There shouldn't _be _a next time."

"We both know there will be no matter what precautions we make."

Another silence lapped. They were going to be able to reach an understanding, even if he didn't agree with her nor her with him. It was just part of the way their relationship worked.

"You know I worry about you," he said at last.

"I know. And I appreciate your concern. Sasuke, you're my best friend. No more secrets, okay?"

"Fine. If there are no more secrets, then who pushed you in the pool?"

"No more unnecessary secrets."

"Who pushed you?"

"Sasuke, I'm not a rat."

"Hn. It was worth a try."

They laughed quietly. It felt good to laugh. So much had already happened. At least now she had been given the opportunity to clear the air. He asked her what all she remembered about the fight and what happened between her and Itachi. She remained true to her word. The only information she left out was her knowledge that the guys who jumped her were Shasha's goons. Still, he seemed satisfied with the information. He seemed especially glad that nothing had happened between her and Itachi. He wasn't happy that he had revealed the pool incident, but even he had to admit it was about time the truth came out. He had felt bad that the lie even began, but she was the one who assumed he had saved her in the first place. She consented to being partly at fault, but he should have corrected her. They talked for a while about everything that had already happened that year. Both parties expressed concerns and the other tried to comfort them. Talking helped to clear the air. In the end they were able to laugh as if nothing had ever been wrong. They would never forget the talk, but they were certainly closer given everything that had happened. Finally, Sasuke let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair.

"So, do you want to spend the night? I feel bad for sending you home this late and…in your condition," he said.

"Do you think it would cause problems?"

"You know my parents love you," he said rolling his eyes.

"I meant with…_him_."

"Hn. It _shouldn't_ be a problem. He won't come in here."

"I don't want to cause anymore problems."

"It's not a problem. It's not like you haven't before. You should probably call home to let them know, though. You can borrow some cloths for the night."

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Yeah, yeah," he said ruffling her hair. "I just don't want you passing out on the way home."

She laughed. He could try to play it off cool, but she knew he cared. He got her out a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. She already knew that they would be big, but at least they would be comfortable and not bloodstained. He left the room to get them some tea. At least, that was his excuse. The main reason he left was to give her some privacy so she could change and call home. It didn't take her long to let her mom know that she had run into Sasuke on her way home, they got talking, and so she was spending the night. Her mom was more than happy to give the okay and said that they would see her in the morning. After that, she changed out of her clothes and into the ones Sasuke had left for her. In the end, she sat back on his bed and waited.

"_I wonder what's taking him so long_," she wondered.

* * *

"Come in," Itachi called, not looking up from his desk.

He had his assignments in an organized mess. He had finished most of his homework earlier, but he was still trying to puzzle out the beginnings of a few projects that were either about to be assigned or had recently been assigned. He shared most of his classes with at least one other Akatsuki members, but they seemed to be of little help when it came to projects. Normally, that suited him just fine. He would prefer to do the work and know that it was up to standard rather than leaving it to others who would not do his normal work justice. However, tonight he was distracted. And the distractions kept coming.

"I want to talk to you," Sasuke said rather boldly.

Itachi looked up at his little brother standing in the doorway. It wasn't like Sasuke to be so bold. However, Itachi was sure what had his brother riled up. It was the same thing that had been distracting him. Rena Asho.

"I don't know what you're planning, but do _not_ involve Rena. Just leave her alone," the younger Uchiha demanded without waiting for Itachi to respond. "I mean it. She's been through enough. Whatever you're planning…leave her out of it."

The elder Uchiha kept his gaze level as he stared at his brother. Sasuke rarely ever tried to stand up to him. Rena was obviously very important to him. It was admirable that he would go so far to stick up for his friend. The only thing that upset him was the implication that everything had been part of some diabolical plan on Itachi's behave.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," the elder Uchiha replied calmly.

"I mean it, Nii-san! Leave Rena alone."

"I have done nothing but lend a helping hand. Since when is that a crime that is part of some diabolical scheme?"

"I _know_ you've been staring at her, following her…I want you to leave her alone. I'm sure a share of those rumors came from you and your crowd."

"_My_ crowd?"

"Just leave her out of it. She doesn't need it."

"Like I said, Sasuke, I've done nothing. If anything, I've helped and shown a healthy interest in her. She is a very talented and lovely young lady."

He watched with mild amuzement as Sasuke's face turned bright red. He knew there wasn't any kind of romance going on between the two, but Sasuke was protective of his friends. The thought of anyone, especially Itachi, showing "that kind" of interest was probably enough to send Sasuke on a rampage. Itachi had heard about the almost fight on the first day of school. It would be interesting to see how Sasuke would handle the situation at hand.

"You…" the younger Uchiha sputtered "leave…her…alone."

With that, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. Itachi chuckled softly to himself. It was fun to pick on Sasuke. It was all in good fun. However, he hadn't been lying. Rena was a very attractive young lady with talent to spare. He had noticed that day one, when she spoke up against Deidera in English and it was solidified at the school festival. Only a fool would try to hide that there was some attraction there. He just never acted upon it nor did he have any real plans to do so. The occasions when he had saved her had just been pure luck. If he hadn't been there, she would have been in serious trouble. Now? Now he was more intrigued. After all, he had been seeing more of her. Would it really be a crime for him to take some more interest in her in which he can actually learn more about her? Ah, well, it was safe to say the games were a foot…and he had Sasuke to thank.

Oh the irony.

* * *

Sasuke tried to calm himself down as he poured the hot water into the tea pot. Itachi was probably just trying to get under his skin…right? He shook his head. The _last_ thing he wanted to think about was the possibility of Itachi going after Rena. It wasn't that he was jealous or had secret feelings for her, he just thought she could…well do better, deserved better. Sasuke never really took to Itachi's friends (which eventually became his gang). The last thing Rena needed was to be exposed to _that_. She had had enough trouble already. Now the real trick was acting like nothing had happened. If Rena knew that he had confronted Itachi, she'd have his head.

He put the tea pot and two cups on a tray and carried it back upstairs to his room. He knocked on the door. When no one answered, he opened the door and peaked in. Rena was lying on his bed, fast asleep. He sighed and shook his head as he came in. He set the tray down on his desk. He really shouldn't have been surprised. It had been a long day. She was probably exhausted. He gently adjusted her on the bed so that he could pull the covers over her. She stirred very little. He smiled. She did look peaceful when she was asleep. Now if only he could guarantee there would be no more problems.

He helped himself to a couple cups of tea before making up his own make-shift bed on the floor. He went to the bathroom and got ready for bed. When he came back, Rena had already found herself a comfortable position and he was sure she wouldn't stir again the rest of the night. He could only shake his head and smile. He turned off the light and lay down on his own make-shift bed. Silently, he said a prayer that the worst was behind them for the year. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he doubted that they would be so lucky. And with that thought, he let sleep overcome him.


End file.
